This miniature watercolor on ivory portrait of William Thornton was created by Robert Field circa 1800. Dr. William Thornton was born in the British West Indies in 1759 and gained U.S. citizenship in 1787. Thornton moved to Washington, D.C. after President George Washington chose his design for the U.S. Capitol building and appointed him a city commissioner. Considered the "first architect of the Capitol," Thornton held the role of head of the Patent Office from 1802 until his death in 1828. William Thornton and the creator, Robert Field, were acquaintances. This portrait is a part of the White House Collection.

This watercolor on ivory portrait of President Andrew Jackson was completed by Samuel M. Charles in 1835. The portrait is signed and dated to the right, reading, "Painted by S M. Charles 1835." Jackson was president from March 4, 1829 until March 4, 1837. Prior to his election, President Jackson served in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate for the state of Tennessee and was a major general during the War of 1812. Bates Littlehales photographed this portrait in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This watercolor on ivory portrait of President Andrew Jackson was completed by Samuel M. Charles in 1835. The portrait is signed and dated to the right, reading, "Painted by S M. Charles 1835." Jackson was president from March 4, 1829 until March 4, 1837. Prior to his election, President Jackson served in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate for the state of Tennessee and was a major general during the War of 1812. Bates Littlehales photographed this portrait in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This watercolor on ivory portrait of President Andrew Jackson was completed by Samuel M. Charles in 1835. The portrait is signed and dated to the right, reading, "Painted by S M. Charles 1835." Jackson was president from March 4, 1829 until March 4, 1837. Prior to his election, President Jackson served in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate for the state of Tennessee and was a major general during the War of 1812. Bates Littlehales photographed this portrait in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This watercolor by an unknown artist shows the South Portico of the White House during the late 1800s. The watercolor is based after an engraving by V. Foulquier. The conservatory building is visible to the west of the house, but the East Wing and East Corridor are not yet present. Several well-dressed women converse on the lawn while a man and a woman pass each other on horseback in the center of the frame.

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 painting of the North Portico decorated for Christmas is by Ray Ellis, who painted several scenes of the White House for the official holiday card, including this one.

This watercolor painting by Rufus Porter is of the White House with the sun rising behind it. Porter was an American painter and inventor who went on to found the magazine "Scientific American" in 1845.

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 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 painting by Stanford White is of the Erechtheum (also called the Erechtheion), an Ancient Greek Temple on the north side of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. White was an American architect, primarily known for designing famous New York City buildings such as the Century Club, the First Bowery Savings Bank, the Gould Memorial Library, Judson Memorial Church, the second Madison Square Garden, Madison Square Presbyterian Church, the New York Herald Building, the Villard Houses, and the triumphal arch in Washington Square Park in Manhattan. It marks the centennial of George Washington's inauguration in 1789.

This watercolor is by Edward C. Kuhn, an artist who worked for the U.S. Army. Kuhn did a series of six watercolors depicting the evolution of the President's Flag (also known as the President's Standard). All six are a part of the White House Collection including this one of a soldier waving the May 29, 1916 version.

This watercolor is by Edward C. Kuhn, an artist who worked for the U.S. Army. Kuhn did a series of six watercolors depicting the evolution of the President's Flag (also known as the President's Standard). All six are a part of the White House Collection including this one of a soldier waving the July 24, 1912 version.

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 watercolor is by Edward C. Kuhn, an artist who worked for the U.S. Army. Kuhn did a series of six watercolors depicting the evolution of the President's Flag (also known as the President's Standard). All six are a part of the White House Collection including this one of a soldier waving the 1902 version.

This watercolor by Gustav Ketterer is of the Liberty Bell in the foyer of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ketterer's style is detailed and realistic, with the famous bell on display on the ground level of the hall, surrounded by a stairwell and balcony.

This watercolor by Alfred Addy is of the Presidential yacht, the Mayflower. Addy grew up in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States in 1906, where he lived and painted mostly in the northeast. Originally purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1898, the Mayflower was active during the Spanish-American War. In 1905 the ship was commissioned as the presidential yacht serving Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge and Warren G. Harding, but President Herbert Hoover decommissioned the vessel in 1929 due to its expense. After spending years in private ownership, the Mayflower was purchased again by the Navy in 1942 and rechristened the USS Butte. After the end of the Second World War, the ship was decommissioned, passed into private ownership and eventually was involved in relocating Jewish refugees to Israel. The Mayflower was likely the only vessel to have served in the Spanish-American War as well as both World Wars and was broken up in 1955.

This watercolor is by Edward C. Kuhn, an artist who worked for the U.S. Army. Kuhn did a series of six watercolors depicting the evolution of the President's Flag (also known as the President's Standard). All six are a part of the White House Collection including this one of a soldier waving the March 28, 1898 version.

This watercolor portrait of President Lyndon B. Johnson was created on paper by Elizabeth Shoumatoff in 1968. Shoumatoff, like many artists, used proof studies to map the color and composition of a painting before creating the final product.

This watercolor portrait of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson was created on paper by Elizabeth Shoumatoff in 1968. Shoumatoff, like many artists, used proof studies to map the color and composition of a painting before creating the final product.

This watercolor by artist George Munger depicts the burned-out shell of the White after it was destroyed by British troops on August 24, 1814. The painting shows the once elegant and imposing house standing alone in the landscape, a vivid reminder of the destruction and that the capital city was still in its infancy. A curious element of the work is the S-curved shape above the near corner of the roof. It is believed to be part of metallic conductor that encircled the roof that functioned as lighting protection system.

This watercolor on ivory portrait of President Andrew Jackson was completed by Samuel M. Charles in 1835. The portrait is signed and dated to the right, reading, "Painted by S M. Charles 1835." Jackson was president from March 4, 1829 until March 4, 1837. Prior to his election, President Jackson served in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate for the state of Tennessee and was a major general during the War of 1812.

This watercolor portrait of President Millard Fillmore is from the late 19th century. President Fillmore began his national political career in the United States House of Representatives. He served as vice president under President Zachary Taylor until Taylor's sudden death while in office in 1850. Fillmore served as the thirteenth president from July 10, 1850 until March 4, 1853.

This black and white version of an 1899 watercolor portrait by Emily Drayton Taylor is of President William McKinley. The portrait was painted on ivory at the White House. Taylor also painted President McKinley's wife, First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley, that same year in the same medium.

This watercolor on ivory portrait of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley was done by Emily Drayton Taylor. Emily Taylor worked in miniatures and also authored a chapter in the book "Heirlooms and Miniatures," printed in 1898. Prior to her marriage, Mrs. McKinley worked as a teller in her father's bank. Despite difficulties with her health, Mrs. McKinley fulfilled the duties of first lady to the best of her ability, hosting White House events and traveling with the president. William McKinley was president from March 4, 1897 until his death on September 14, 1901.