Primary Sources
A map of the Capital Building and it’s surrounding area.
http://www.loc.gov/item/75693174/
I chose to look at a picture of the Capital Building taken by George A. Morrison. The map is dated as being made in 1872 and officially being added to the Library of Congress June 24th, 1931. The source is the official website for the Library of Congress, which gives the picture the authority to back up saying where it is from. The context of the photo is a historical look at what D.C looked like in 1872. It can be compared to other maps or paintings at the time to certify that it is accurate. There is not very much to read into besides the fact that it is a panoramic view of a particular area of D.C. One thing to note though, is that the map is not drawn to scale, but that does not ruin the map as a whole as it is still useful at telling us what was around the capital building at that time.
Buy Bonds Today to Support the War!
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1917-10-27/ed-1/seq-6/#date1=1836&sort=relevance&rows=20&words=Columbia+District&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=3&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=district+of+columbia&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2
My second primary source is a brief newspaper excerpt from the Washington Herald urging Americans to continue to buy war bonds in order to support the war effort. The paper is dated 17 Oct. 1917, a little before the war ended. The date is seen on the paper itself and also in the description. The brief article is trying to drum up support in buying of war bonds by saying that is is everyone’s duty to help support the war and that everyone can make a difference. The article is supported by the Liberty Loan Committee of Washington D.C. The article is also officially endorsed by the Banker’s Association of District of Columbia. The time in which this article was posted it was well known that the government sold bonds, so this is a legitimate idea that advertisement would out there trying to get people to buy bonds. It can be checked with others posted at the same time encouraging the purchase of war bonds.
Other Questions
I felt that the advertisement for war bonds was a bit harder to work with, just because there is less to work with. With the picture there was a lot more to look at and it is easier to understand and compare.