Early Washington, DC This landscape painting of Washington, DC, looks out from the area that is Union Station today onto the early <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/59">US Capitol building</a>. <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/152">George Washington</a> built two row houses to the right of the Capitol. Although this is a highly romanticized view of the city, when artist William McLeod painted this landscape in 1844, <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/402">cows still roamed the Mall and much of the land around the Capitol remained undeveloped</a>. <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=William+McLeod">William McLeod</a> Department of State Diplomatic Reception Rooms. <a href="https://diplomaticrooms.state.gov/Pages/item.aspx?item=49&amp;RootFolder=/Collection%20Items">View original</a>. 1844 <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1830-1859">1830-1859</a>