The 42nd Congress is sitting in Washington, DC before its holiday recess which begins on December 21, 1871

The Forty-second Congress of the United States is in session in Washington, D.C. It is sitting for two weeks until its usual holiday recess which begins on December 21, 1871. James Gillespie Blaine, Republican of Maine, is in the Speaker's chair in the House. (By John Osborne)