Lot 188: Attributed to George Beck (British/Baltimore/Philadelphia, 1748-1812) A South View of the City of Washington. Unsigned, titled in a per

Attributed to George Beck (British/Baltimore/Philadelphia, 1748-1812)

A South View of the City of Washington. Unsigned, titled in a period ink inscription on verso. Gouache on paper, 14 1/2 x 19 1/2 in., in a later molded giltwood frame with eglomise mat. Condition: Minor specks of paint loss, small moisture stain c.l.

Note: George Beck was a landscape artist born in Staffordshire, England. He was mostly self-educated and was employed in 1776 by the Corps of Royal Engineers, drawing maps and battle plans in the Tower of London, which helped to hone his artistic talents. His early British landscapes and those by his wife Mary, also an artist, were featured at the Royal Academy of London from 1780-1793. In 1795, the couple migrated to the United States, hoping the sale of their paintings would be more profitable.
The Becks first lived in Baltimore, where George painted scenes of the Potomac River, including two works, The Potomac River Breaking through the Blue Ridge, and The Great Falls of the Potomac (c. 1796-1797) which were purchased by George Washington in 1797 to hang at Mount Vernon.

The couple moved to Philadelphia for a short time before they traveled from Philadelphia in 1804 to Pittsburgh, Niagara Falls, and Ohio, finally settling in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1809. Mary opened a girl's school there and George established a boy's school, but devoted most of his time to painting, writing poetry, and translating classic Greek and Roman texts. The Becks remained in Lexington until George's death in 1812.