U.S. Senate: Art & History Home > "I Do Solemnly Swear": A Half Century of Inaugural Images

1897 William McKinley

William McKinley’s 1897 inauguration was the first to be captured by motion pictures. The traditional location for inaugural ceremonies at that time was the Capitol’s East Portico, but McKinley’s took place on a low platform erected on the grounds just to the north.

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Harper's Weekly Inauguration Number 1897

Harper's Weekly Inauguration Number 1897

Inauguration Day in Washington. View from the Dome of the New Congressional Library—Crowds Gathering to Witness the Ceremony at the East Front of the Capitol.

The Inauguration of President McKinley—At the Capitol and on the Line of March.

The Closing Feature of Inauguration Day—The Ball in the Pension-Office Building, Washington.The Closing Feature of Inauguration Day—The Ball in the Pension-Office Building, Washington.

President McKinley Reviewing the Inaugural Procession from the Stand in Front of the White House.

The Inauguration of President McKinley. Chief-Justice Fuller Administering the Oath of Office in Front of the Senate Wing of the Capitol.

1893 Inauguration 1901 Inauguration