Benjamin Henry Latrobe, An Overseer Doing His Duty, pen, ink and watercolor sketch

Images of slavery

Benjamin Henry Latrobe was most famous as an architect, especially for his design for the new U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. He was also an accomplished artist. Soon after arriving in the U.S. from his native Britain in 1796, Latrobe spent several years in Virginia. This watercolor depicting slaves working under the eye of an overseer was “sketched from life near Fredericksburg, 13 March 1798” (image courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society).

Benjamin Henry Latrobe

1798

eng

1960-108-1-3-21