Washington Monument from H Street, Washington DC Possibly 1926

Curator: Childe Hassam’s watercolor, “Washington Monument from H Street, Washington DC,” created in 1926, offers a glimpse of the capital city. Editor: It’s strikingly serene. There’s a dreamlike quality to the soft washes of color. Curator: Hassam's work often captures the spirit of urban life through a lens of impressionism, though he was working quite late into that movement's lifespan at this point. Think about what the monument represents here, though—enduring power, yet framed by the everyday bustle. Editor: I see a narrative about visibility and power. The monument is literally centered, but the figures on the street—their bodies, their lives—are what give scale and meaning. It raises questions about whose stories are centered in the narrative of a nation. Curator: Absolutely. Hassam's choice of watercolor lends itself to a sense of immediacy. What we are left with is a moment, not a monument. Editor: It’s fascinating to consider the tension between the monument’s intended permanence and the fleeting quality captured by the artist. Curator: Hassam allows us to contemplate the monument’s shifting place within public life.