George Henry Andrews (1816-98)
Mount Vernon dated 6 Oct 1860
Pencil, watercolour and touches of bodycolour | 25.3 x 39.8 cm (whole object) | RCIN 920990
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A watercolour exterior view of the house in which George Washington lived and died. Signed. The watercolour has three distinct vertical folds, and it has been suggested that these were made when the artist was actually at work. George Henry Andrews worked for the Illustrated London News between 1856 and 1860, and in May and June of 1860 was sent to Canada to make a series of watercolours to be reproduced as illustrations to that periodical's coverage of the Prince of Wales's tour to Canada and the United States. Andrews then accompanied the royal party on their tour, made between July and October of 1860, as the representative of the Illustrated London News and made many sketches on the spot, as is the case with this watercolour dated 6 October. The Prince of Wales wrote to his mother that he found the landmark a very interesting one but that, at that time, the "house itself [was] unfortunately in very bad repair". It was described concurrently in The Times as "... an old-fashioned wooden country house three storeys high, with very tall, square wooden pillars, supporting a broad balcony...". The watercolour was reproduced in the Illustrated London News of 15 December 1860 with the addition of figures. Along with other works by Andrews documenting the Prince's tour, this watercolour was originally mounted in a volume in the Royal Library before being incorporated into the newly-created Souvenir Album XI in the late 1920s.
Provenance
Presumably given to or acquired by King Edward VII when Prince of Wales
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Pencil, watercolour and touches of bodycolour
Measurements
25.3 x 39.8 cm (whole object)
Other number(s)
RL 20990