View of Washington from Arlington
Oil on canvas
36 1/8 x 60 inches
Circa 1908
As published in: Scenic Impressions: Southern Interpretations from the Johnson Collection
As exhibited in: Scenic Impressions: Southern Interpretations from the Johnson Collection, 2015–2018, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee; Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia; Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia; Knoxville Museum of Art, Tennessee; Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts at Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina
In this expansive, century-old panorama of the nation’s capital, John Ross Key offers a prospect that no longer exists; urban sprawl, multiple bridges, and bustling traffic have changed the view forever. Clearly recognizable, however, are iconic landmarks bathed in a rosy light: the Washington Monument and the United States Capitol Building.
Key grew up nearby; after studying at West Point, he joined Confederate forces in 1861 and served in Charleston, South Carolina. Following the war, he was restless, spending time abroad, in California, and New England. He eventually returned to Washington where he lived for a decade before his death in Baltimore.
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