An Artist’s Washington

Washington, D.C. is most widely known as a federal city filled with massive statuary and architecture. With trained eyes artists look beyond the city’s monumental core to depict the everyday scenes familiar to local Washingtonians.

This exhibition explored depictions of D.C. across time and media — from Civil War art correspondents to contemporary illustrators, and from oil painting to etching. Fourteen artists represent nearly 200 years of landscapes, streetscapes and destinations authentic to D.C. 

Examples included a pastoral scene of late 19th-century Anacostia painted by William MacLeod; artist Gene Boemer’s study of fountains across city, from corner parks to the courtyards of federal buildings; and a series of postcards illustrated by Carlos Carmonamedina, featuring such classic neighborhood scenes as the drum circle in Meridian Hill Park and brunch at Le Diplomate. 

This exhibition was organized by the Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies with support from the Albert and Shirley Small Family Foundation.

 

William D. MacLeod, Untitled (Capitol from the Anacostia River), c. 1880, AS 657. 

 

Gene Boemer, Courtyard of Labor Building, c. 1967, GW 2015.3.9.

 

Paul McGehee, Little Tavern, Georgetown, c. 2015, AS 2016.1.