Two Views of the Potomac and a Portrait

Description

Watercolor, ink, and pencil on paper drawing of "Two Views of the Potomac and a Portrait", March 19,1798, from the Latrobe Sketchbooks, by Benjamin Henry Latrobe. A full page is devoted to poem VII from "The Minstrel", which was published in 1771 by James Beattie (1735-1803). The portrait at center appears to be a rendering of the Scottish poet and philosopher. The small inset scenes on either side of the portrait are "Scene near the little Falls on the Banks of the Potomac" and "Group of Rocks near the Bridge at little Falls". The Little Falls are a section of the Potomac River, northwest of Chain Bridge, which appears in another watercolor by Latrobe. The bridge connects Washington, D.C. to McLean, Virginia.