‘Looking Into the Past: Newsie, Willard Hotel, Washington, DC’
courtesy of ‘jasonepowell’

Sometimes, when you hit upon an idea, it just hits all the right buttons.

This photo is one of several that Jason Powell has put together. He takes old pictures, often from the Library of Congress, prints them out and then photographs them lined up with the modern-day location. It’s simple and it’s genius.

For this shot, the famous Willard Hotel serves as the backdrop to what the original picture describes as a “pugnacious little chap” who was selling the paper at the ripe old age of nine. Click through for more details, and make sure to check out the entire set.

Samer Farha

Born in Lebanon, Samer moved to DC to go to college. A lot of good that did him. Twenty-two years later, he still lives in the area. When he’s not writing for a blog or tweeting incessantly, he wanders the streets (and the globe) photographing whatever gets in his way.