Capitol, Washington D.C. Watercolors on paper by Thomas Kennet-Were

Capitol, Washington, from the Steamer on the Potomac. Watercolors on paper by Thomas Kennet-Were

“The journey from Baltimore to Washington occupies little more than an hour. Arrived in that city of ‘magnificent distances,’ the first thing we did was to visit the Capitol, the Parliament House of the United States. It stands in a noble position on rising ground, in each side of which there are gardens, which would doubtless be pleasant places in summer. Not only on account of its position, but also on account of the imposing appearance of the building itself, and of its fitness for the purpose for which it was intended, the Capitol surpasses any Parliament House I have ever seen in Europe.”

Mt. Vernon, Washington’s Home on the Potomac near Washington Watercolors on paper by Thomas Kennet-Were

“Near Washington, on the right bank of the Potomac, is Mount Vernon, the house where General Washington lived and died. On every steamer, as its passes this place, a bell is tolled as a mark of respect to the great American. . . . From the lawn in front there are extensive views over the Potomac, which in summer must be beautiful. The rooms of the house are small, and bare of all furniture except a few chairs and pictures, and an old harpsichord. Notices, which I am very glad to say have been generally observed, request strangers not to write on the walls. The temptation, however, has been too much for Paddy, who, I was amused to see, had selected the inside of a cupboard, and an opportunity when nobody was looking, to scrawl, Patrick Murphy.”

View from hospital, Norfolk, Virginia 1869. Watercolors on paper by Thomas Kennet-Were

Norfolk, Va U.S.A. Watercolors on paper by Thomas Kennet-Were

“At the outlet of Chesapeake Bay stands Norfolk, situated on the right bank of the Elizabeth river. . . . Overlooking the Sound of the Naval Hospital, in the grounds of which, in the summer, the young ladies of Norfolk used to parade. Stretching for more than 100 miles away behind Norfolk is the great Dismal Swamp, where fugitive slaves, in the old days before the war, hid themselves whilst waiting for an opportunity to cross over Mason and Dixie’s line into a Free state.”

Locomotive Watercolors on paper by Thomas Kennet-Were

Fort Sumter, Charleston, Va. Watercolors on paper by Thomas Kennet-Were

“At present Charleston has a more forlorn appearance than any Southern city we visited. During the bombardment the greater part of it was burnt down, and has never been re-built; the pavement is cracked and many of the houses marked by shells thrown into the town from Morris Island, a distance of nearly seven miles. Business appeared to be at a standstill.”

Florida and Mississippi

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