This composite features pieces from the White House Collection. This image was featured in the exhibition entitled "Slavery and Freedom in the White House Collection". It may only be used for press and publicity purposes related to the exhibit. All other uses must be approved by the White House Historical Association in writing.

This composite features pieces from the White House Collection. This image was featured in the exhibition entitled "Slavery and Freedom in the White House Collection". It may only be used for press and publicity purposes related to the exhibit. All other uses must be approved by the White House Historical Association in writing.

This painting is attributed to William Henry Powell (sometimes known as W.H. Powell), who was a New York City painter and trained under Henry Inman. The painting depicts a group of settlers and their horses around a covered wagon. An American Indian man is in the center of the group and pointing off into the distance, suggesting he is providing directions to the seated figure looking at a map. Powell's "Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto A.D. 1541" hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda.

This seascape of a three-masted American ship, or barque, is attributed to W.J. Bennett, also known as William James Bennett. Dark clouds, high seas, and full sails suggest a stormy day as the ship navigates around a number of smaller vessels. Bennett was a British-born painter active in America and was a member of the National Academy of Design in New York City.

This painting of American flags on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is by one of the most prominent American Impressionists of the early 20th century, Frederick Childe Hassam (known to many as Childe Hassam). The painting depicts both flags hanging on Fifth Avenue as well as reflections of the flags in water following a rainstorm. The Avenue in the Rain is one of 30 flag paintings of his that coincided with World War I. Fifth Avenue in New York City was frequently decorated with American flags at the time, as the United States debated entry into the war. This piece was completed in February of 1917, barely two months before Congress declared war on Germany on April 6th. Six Hassam pieces are in the White House Collection.

This oil painting of an Old American West cowboy scene is by Frederic Remington. Remington, often referred to as Frederic Sackrider Remington, was a prolific painter of the American West and he focused primarily on subjects such as cowboys, American Indians, and the military. The painting is based on an account in future president Theodore Roosevelt's 1888 book Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail about his successful pursuit and capture of three thieves who had cut his boat loose from its mooring and taken it down the Little Missouri River. Remington and Roosevelt became close friends during this period. Three Remington pieces are in the White House Collection.

This painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 is by artist Charles-Edouard Armand-Dumaresq. Also in the White House Collection is a sketch that may be a draft by the artist for this work. The painting depicts the delegates actively debating and voting on the Declaration. Armand-Dumaresq was a French painter who visited the United States in the 1870s.

This landscape painting is by noted American Impressionist Frederick Childe Hassam (often referred to as Childe Hassam). It shows a snow-covered New York street. The central figure appears to be a young boy slogging his way through the storm. Six Hassam pieces are in the White House Collection.

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 oil painting by Antonio Nicolo Gaspara Jacobsen is of the USS Galena. There have been three ships in the history of the United States named Galena. This painting represents the second, a wooden steamer built and launched in 1879. She was the flagship of Rear Admiral Pierce Crosby between October 1882 and January 1883 and was decommissioned in 1890. Jacobsen was born in Denmark and immigrated to the United States in 1873. A prolific painter of ships and other maritime views, he was known as the "Audubon of Steam Vessels."

This painting was done by American artist Robert Henri. Henri painted the little girl named Patience, while vacationing with Henri and his wife, Marjorie, joined George Bellows and his family for the summer in Ogunquit, Maine. She poses with flowers behind her, and her large, dark eyes stand out above her light gown, while her dark hair melds into the forest green background. Henri was a leading figure in the Ashcan school of realism and an influential teacher of art.

This still life done was done by Martin Johnson Heade around 1903. The painting reveals the fine details of a small bouquet of roses, complete with many layers of petals and the sharp tips of thorns, resting atop a light tablecloth. Heade was an American artist who moved from portrait painting to landscapes during his career, including a number of marine paintings made in Florida. Two of his landscapes are also in the White House Collection.

This landscape is by Jasper Francis Cropsey, an American painter associated with the Hudson River School. This striking landscape is almost split between the darker cliff face, which is covered in trees whose leaves are turning, and the lighter left side of the sky and the quiet Hudson River, with a handful of boats visible on the water. Five of Cropsey's paintings are in the White House Collection.

This painting of a private boat dock is by Edward Mitchell Bannister, one of the few paintings of this era by a person of color in the White House Collection. Bannister was originally Canadian and moved to the United States. Like James McNeil Whistler, Bannister was a Tonalist painter known for landscapes. This painting emphasizes different hues of green surrounding the small rowboat tied to a rustic dock that lies alongside a pasture.

This painting by Rockwell Kent depicts Asgaard Farm, which he purchased in the 1920s in northeastern New York state on the Au Sable River. The dark green of the corn stalks in the foreground is matched by the dark green trees covering one of the Adirondack mountains that fill the upper portion of the painting.

This portrait of Benjamin Franklin was painted by David Martin in 1767 in London, England. Franklin was a renowned author, inventor and philosopher who was also one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He also served as the representative of the United States in France during the Revolutionary War. Martin was a Scottish painter who later became famous for portraits; this painting of Franklin was one of his early works. Franklin lived in London twice on behalf of the United States and its interests. This portrait was commissioned by Robert Alexander of William Alexander and Sons in Edinburgh, Scotland during one of those stays when Alexander had a property claim being disputed with another man. Both Alexander and the plaintiff agreed to seek Franklin's legal advice and promised to adhere to Franklin's decision. Franklin ruled in favor of Alexander, who commissioned the portrait in gratitude for Franklin's ruling.

This landscape by Alfred Thompson Bricher is almost twice as wide as it is high, underscoring the vastness of the coast. The brown rock that rises on the left horizon is Castle Rock at Nahant, a peninsula near Lynn, Massachusetts. On the right side of the horizon stands a lighthouse on the small island of Egg Rock. Bricher is associated with the Hudson River School in American art and is known for seascapes and marine landscapes.

This landscape by painter Thaddeus Welch captures a large, prominent tree with several cows resting in its shade. Far off are the sunny hills of California where this painting gets its name and more cows wading and grazing in a small pond. Born in Indiana, Welch crossed the United States as a child and traveled extensively as an adult before settling in California.

This painting is by Theodore J. Richardson, an artist known for his watercolor landscapes. Two boats are painted in the foreground on Sitka Sound or, as referred to by Richardson, Sitka Bay in Sitka, Alaska. The wilderness of Alaska is captured with low-lying forests and high mountain ranges, including Mount Edgecumbe. Richardson was an American painter who spent much of his life in California and Alaska and became known for his paintings of the Alaskan wilderness.

This landscape is by painter Thomas Hill, who was among a group of artists known for their images of the unexplored western frontier. The painting is of Bridalveil Fall (referred to by Hill as Bridal Veil Falls), a waterfall in what is now Yosemite National Park in California. Despite the painting's title the landscape is expansive, with Bridalveil Fall far-off in the distance. In the foreground is a riverbank that leads to a small creek, likely Bridalveil Creek, where the waterfall runs to. A fisherman stands at center, casting a line. Born in Britain, Hill's family emigrated to the United States when he was in his teens. Hill moved to San Francisco later in life and is known for vivid paintings of California such as this one. Three of Hill's Yosemite paintings are in the White House Collection.

This landscape is by Jasper Francis Cropsey, an American painter associated with the Hudson River School. The painting is a grand landscape of dark cliffs and fall trees with a lake running through the middle of the canvas. A grown, male deer stands on the left shore of the lake, giving the painting its name. Five of Cropsey's paintings are in the White House Collection.

This oil painting of a scene on the Hudson River is by Shepard Alonzo Mount. A large, rocky island sits in the center of the canvas. The rock face is shadowed in the morning light. In the center foreground, two American Indian figures appear, with the man standing and holding a bow next to a woman in a red dress, seated on the ground. Mount began his career as a carriage maker before enrolling at the National Academy of Design. Though he is best known for portraiture, he enjoyed painting landscapes. He is the older brother of acclaimed artist and Hudson River School contemporary William Sidney Mount.

This portrait of James Freeman Curtis was done by John Coles, Jr. Curtis served in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 and was captured by the British and held prisoner for a time. After leaving the service he became a successful businessman in New England.

This landscape of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side was done by Victor de Grailly. The tiny figures in the foreground help create a sense of the size of the river, while a ship plies the waters near the bottom of the falls. De Grailly was a French landscape artist who studied under Jean-Victor Bertin and exhibited in Paris. This painting was acquired for the White House Collection by the White House Historical Association in 1975.

This landscape by Victor de Grailly was painted after a similar piece by William Henry Bartlett. De Grailly's painting captures a clear day in Eastport, Maine on the Passamaquoddy Bay, which is on the border between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. The painting looks down upon the bay and the cliffs, hillsides, and mountains surrounding the bay. A few well-dressed people are visible in the foreground, including a fisherman, while several ships sail on the bay. De Grailly was a French landscape artist who studied under Jean-Victor Bertin and exhibited in Paris.