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View of the Capitol

Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts | CC0 1.0

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Date

1824

Artist

Charles W. Burton (active 1840-1849)

Collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Image Link

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/10348

Description

During his residence in America (ca. 1819-1842) Burton established a reputation as a draftsman of diminutive ink and watercolor drawings that were designed for publication as engravings. This watercolor was made the same year in which the original U.S. Capitol building was finally declared finished. Burton’s drawing style is distinguished by its precision and by the small size of the figures in relation to their surroundings. His careful rendering of the building facade and the dome are convincing, but his grasp of perspective was limited. Here, for example, Burton relied on diminishing rows of poplar trees to convey a sense of recession up the avenue toward the Capitol, but the figures moving along the paths are not scaled with the same consistency. Nonetheless, the overall effect is charming. Medium: watercolor, pen and black ink, and gum arabic on off-white wove paper.

Image Licence

CC0 1.0

Image Credit

Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts

Location

United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., USA

Country

Tags

Architecture
Government Buildings
Horse-drawn
Roads
Trees

Category

Buildings & Architecture

Glossary
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© 2024 Watercolour World | Technology by The Museum Platform

© 2024 Watercolour World | Technology by The Museum Platform