This engraving of the capture of Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812 was created by London printers J and J Cundee in 1815 and used as an illustration in an edition of Paul Rapin's multi-volume "History of England." British troops entered and burned the capital, including the White House, on August 24, 1814. Though British forces occupied the city for only a short time, they inflicted serious damage. President James Madison escaped the White House before the attack, but finished out his second term in the nearby Octagon House and a row house in "Six Buildings" complex on Pennsylvania while the White House was rebuilt.

This painting of Decaur House was created by E. Vaile in June 1822. A man stands at the door, as a carriage approaches. Completed in 1818, Decatur House was the third building on Lafayette Square and its first private residence. Decatur House was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the architect of the Capitol and several other famous buildings, for Commodore Stephen Decatur and his wife, Susan. Tragically, in 1820 Stephen Decatur was mortally wounded during a duel and his widow Susan subsequently rented out the house to foreign ministers and several secretaries of state. The house was eventually sold and passed through several hands, including the Gadsby family, the U.S. Subsistence Bureau, and the Beale family. Marie Ogle Beale, a society maven and the last owner left the house to National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1961. In 2010, the White House Historical Association and National Trust entered into co-stewardship arrangement and the house now serves as the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History.

This parquet flooring and wood representation of the great seal of California was installed in the Decatur House dining room between 1872 and 1874. It was part of several changes Edward Fitzgerald Beale and his wife, Mary Edwards Beale instituted after they purchased the property in 1871. The Beales were the last family to own Decatur House. Completed in 1818, Decatur House was the third building on Lafayette Square and its first private residence. It was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the architect of the Capitol and several other famous buildings, for Commodore Stephen Decatur (1779-1820) and his wife, Susan Wheeler Decatur. Tragically, on March 22, 1820 Stephen Decatur was mortally wounded during a duel. After his death, his widow Susan Decatur rented out the house to foreign ministers and several secretaries of state. The house was eventually sold and passed through several hands, including the Gadsby family, the U.S. Subsistence Bureau, and the Beale family. Marie Ogle Beale, a society maven and the last owner left the house to National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1961. In 2010, the White House Historical Association and National Trust entered into a co-stewardship arrangement of Decatur House.

This is a watercolor painting of the Capitol Building at night by Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. The painting depicts the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. from a distance at night, with a carriage pulled up to the steps visible beyond the trees. Cooper was an American Impressionist who is most renowned for his architectural paintings, though he also painted portraits, interiors, florals, and landscapes. Cooper and his wife were aboard the RMS Carpathia while it conducted its April 1912 rescue mission of survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Cooper has two paintings in the White House Collection.

This watercolor painting is by Walter Paris. The wide canvas captures the width of Pennsylvania Avenue looking toward the Capitol building, visible in the distance. Born in Britain, Paris became an American citizen later in life. He was trained as an architect in addition to creating watercolors. Two of his paintings of Washington, D.C. are in the White House Collection.

This drawing is by Thomas Nast, a pictorial reporter with the New York Illustrated News who would later go on to work as a political cartoonist for Harper's Weekly. In the drawing, a large group of men congregate in the lobby of the famous Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. on March 6, 1861, just two days after President Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration. Notable among the men is Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune, who stands conversing with another man on the right. The German-born Nast is widely considered to be one of the premiere political cartoonists in American history, famous for his early 1870s crusade against William Marcy "Boss" Tweed in New York City.

This watercolor was painted by Walter Paris. The vertical scene shows the West Front of the U.S. Capitol from the walkway into the Botanical Garden, then located on the west end of the Mall. Paris was born in Britain in 1842 and moved to the United States in 1872, later becoming an American citizen. Trained as an architect, he also painted numerous watercolors of landscapes and city scenes, including several of Washington, D.C. where he lived from 1890 until his death in 1906.

This oil on tin painting by an unknown artist is replicated from a steel engraving by William Henry Bartlett. The painting is an early representation of the United States Capitol with a dusty, bare ground surrounding it. Builders, planners, and passersby are scattered across the foreground.

This landscape of Washington, D.C. by Hudson River School artist Albert Bierstadt features the South Lawn with a vast, low-lying field beyond. Tiber Creek and the Potomac River, along with Long Bridge, push towards the horizon in the background. Standing prominently in the painting are a fountain and flag pole with the American flag raised at full mast, in a slight breeze, just right of center and extending nearly the height of the canvas. The fountain was from 1858 and was the first of its kind installed on the White House Grounds. It featured two tiers with sea serpents entwined around the fountain's shaft. The fountain was removed in 1869, the water jets having never worked properly. Bierstadt was renowned for his depictions of the American West and documenting Westward Expansion in the late 19th century. There are six pieces by Bierstadt in the White House Collection.

A quiet, pastoral landscape of 19th century Washington, D.C., this painting by William MacLeod shows an artist, perhaps MacLeod himself, sitting in the foreground, sketching the panoramic view in front of him. Farm land stretches out over most of the canvas with the expanding city of Washington pinpointing the horizon. The city is distinguished by the Potomac River just below the horizon line and the small markings of the Capitol, the Navy Yard, and the Smithsonian Institution Building. To the left, grouped together, are the incomplete Washington Monument, the Treasury Building and the White House. This is an early work of American artist MacLeod, who would go on to be the first curator of the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

This painting depicts Georgetown and the Federal City in 1801. Originally drawn by George Beck of Philadelphia, this engraving was done by Thomas Cartwright of London and was published by Atkins and Nightingale. The Potomac River is depicted in the painting. The buildings closer to the forefront are in Georgetown, while the ones further away make up the City of Washington.

This drawing by George Isham Parkyns depicts one of the waterfront docks in Georgetown. The port in Georgetown rivaled Alexandria, Virginia and Bladensburg, Maryland. Steep unpaved roads made transporting goods challenging.

This illustration is of the view of the unfinished Capitol building from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.

This watercolor painting by Anne-Marguerite-Henriette Rouillé de Marigny Hyde de Neuville, baronne (more commonly known as Anne-Marguerite Hyde de Neuville) shows a view of the corner of F Street and 15th Street in Washington, D.C. At the time, Hyde de Neuville lived at this intersection and painted the scene from her own window. The building on the right is Bank Metropol and the building on the left is the U.S. Treasury building, which was badly damaged during the War of 1812, rebuilt by architect James Hoban, and eventually destroyed by fire in 1833. Hyde de Neuville, who was born in France, lived in the United States for several years and was married to Jean-Guillaume, Baron Hyde de Neuville, the French minister. The artist resided at Decatur House on Lafayette Square (1821-1822) and her watercolors provide glimpses into the life of the new capital in the Federalist era in the early 1800s.

This oil painting by G. Cooke, also known as George Cooke, depicts the City of Washington as it appeared in 1833. The canvas shows a wide view of Washington from across the river, including the Navy Yard, the Capitol building and the White House as key landmarks within the city. Born in Maryland, Cooke began painting full-time around 1820, gradually gaining a reputation for landscapes. He studied under Charles Bird King in Washington.

This painting of a railway station was done by Lefevre Cranstone. A large crowd of people gather in front of the station, with the tower of the station rising up left of center of the image. Cranstone was a British artist who created several hundred watercolor paintings during a trip to America between 1859 and 1860. He trained at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

This painting of the U.S. Capitol was done by an unknown artist after William Henry Bartlett. The building represents the Old Capitol as completed by Architect of the Capitol Charles Bulfinch, circa 1836-1837, with Pennsylvania Avenue below it. People in various types of dress walk along the road.

This painting of the White House on the Fourth of July by American folk artist Patricia Palermino was painted in 1985. Standing under the high pillars of the North Portico are the President and First Lady greeting a parade marching down Pennsylvania Avenue and celebrations across the North Lawn.