How to Use the Images

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Photo 1: Exterior front view, John Marshall House.

Photo 2: Exterior side view, John Marshall House.

This two-and-one-half-story brick house is an example of Federal architecture, a popular style of the 1790s in America. During Marshall's time the house was surrounded by five outbuildings: a kitchen, carriage house, laundry, law office, and smokehouse. The slaves lived on the second floors of the laundry and kitchen buildings.

Questions for Photos 1 & 2

1. The Federal style architecture is known for its overall symmetry and balance. Examine Photos 1 & 2 and make note of the different architectural details on Marshall's house that demonstrate these attributes. Does this style seem fitting of a Supreme Court judge? Why?

2. Locate photographs or drawings of the homes of other great Virginians of the founding era, such as Jefferson’s Monticello, Madison’s Montpelier, and Washington’s Mount Vernon. How does Marshall’s house differ from the houses and surrounding properties of these other Virginians of his time?

* The photos on this screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Photo 1 and Photo 2, but be aware that each file will take as much as 40 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.