Levin Corbin Handy was born on August 10, 1855 in Washington, D.C. to Samuel S. and Mary A. Handy. In 1867, he began work as an apprentice to photographer Mathew B. Brady at his Washington, D.C. studio and by 1871 had established his own photographic business in the city. In 1880, Handy began a business partnership with fellow photographer Samuel C. Chester and in 1882 they opened a studio in Cape May, New Jersey, along with establishing a partnership with Brady to sell images from the American Civil War. Handy would continue to maintain a successful practice in Washington, D.C., the L.C. Handy Studio, which offered both traditional photographic services, particularly for the Library of Congress and other governmental agencies, and duplication services for Library patrons and members of the United States Congress. Between 1880-1896 his studio also documented the construction of the Library of Congress' new building, known today as the Thomas Jefferson Building. Handy passed away at his home in Washington, D.C. on March 23, 1932.

The Library of Congress began in 1800 and was initially located in the west center building of the United States Capitol. Despite several attempts at enlarging and remodeling, the Library never had adequate space to store its collections properly. In 1871, Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Rand Spofford suggested the construction of a new, separate, Library of Congress building, but it wasn't until 1886 that the project was authorized. Based on the Paris Opera House, this new building was viewed at the time as an example of "Italian Renaissance" architecture, but today is considered an example of the "Beaux Arts" style, defined by its heavily ornamental and theatrical features. The new Library of Congress building opened on November 1, 1897 and was known simply as the Library of Congress or Main Building until it was named for Thomas Jefferson in 1980.