Throughout the history of the United States, American artists have traveled from the “New World” in the Western Hemisphere to the “Old World” of Europe. The three watercolors in this case were all made on these journeys. Their depictions of scenes in Venice and Rome capture contemporary moments shaped by the distant past, from traditional modes of dress to ancient ruins. Many American artists found these views intoxicating. As James Fenimore Cooper declared in his 1838 Italian travelogue, “What a speck does the history of America become in this long vista of events!”