View of the Garfield Memorial at Lake View Cemetery

What it is

This is a photographic plate of the Garfield Memorial in Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio. The image shows a tall, domed stone mausoleum with a conical roof, arched windows and carved reliefs, standing among trees. A caption is printed vertically along the right margin of the book page. The Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands holds this print, which is titled in Dutch as a view of the James A. Garfield Memorial. The memorial is a monument, so the image records a later structure rather than an object from Garfield's own time.

Why it matters

The memorial was built to honor James A. Garfield, who was president in 1881 and was shot that year. Its tall dome and carved stone are a public way of remembering him long after his death. Pictures of monuments like this one were often printed in books and collections, so that people far from Cleveland could see how the nation honored a president. The image shows what a memorial looked like to the people who printed and kept it, not only what Garfield did.

Look closer

• What features of the building, such as its dome, windows and carvings, seem designed to make a visitor feel respect?
• Who would have chosen to print this view in a book, and what did they want readers to think about Garfield?
• What does a photograph of a tomb leave out, such as Garfield's presidency, his death, or the people who visit it today?