This letter from President Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Henry Latrobe is dated May 22, 1807. In it, Jefferson sketches a decorative landscape for the White House Grounds. Thomas Jefferson was closely involved with the construction of the White House in its earliest days. Latrobe is best known as the architect who designed the U.S. Capitol, St. John's Church, and the Decatur House in Lafayette Square, the White House colonnades, and the Madison state rooms. He was also the chief engineer for the U.S. Navy.

This sketch of the White House Grounds was drawn by Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800's. It depicts his plan for the White House Grounds, and features his proposed excavations for an extended west wing.