View of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

Isaac L. Williams (1817–1895)

ca. 1866

Watercolor on paper

Sewell C. Biggs bequest; 2004.451

Isaac L. Williams was formally educated in his hometown of Philadelphia, but spent much of his time in Noxontown, Delaware. The artist began his career by studying with John Rowson Smith (1810–1864) and John Neagle (1796–1865), and later instructed art in private institutions, as well as his studio. He was a member of the Artist’s Fund Society—eventually becoming its president—and the Art Union of Philadelphia, exhibiting his works widely in galleries and institutions from Philadelphia to Boston.