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Out of Robbs Window, Montgomery Court House

Description

Watercolor on paper drawing of "Out of Robbs Window, Montgomery Court House", 1811, from the Latrobe Sketchbooks, by Benjamin Henry Latrobe. In 1811, Latrobe brought one of his ailing sons out to the Maryland countryside, hoping the fresh air would help him recover. They stayed in the tavern of Adam Robb (1760-1848), who was also the owner of a nearby farm with more than twenty slaves. Robb was the first known enslaver of African American slave Josiah Henson (1789-1883), who later escaped to Canada on the Underground Railroad, and was the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1811-1896) "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852). Latrobe captured this view of the town in what was then commonly called Montgomery Court House, Maryland, now Rockville. The original courthouse, built in 1779, was held in Hungerford's Tavern, which was a wooden structure. The building depicted was demolished in the 19th century and replaced by a brick structure. This is the earliest know view of Rockville.

Date

1811

Materials

Watercolor on paper

Dimensions

7 x 10.5

Object ID

1960.108.1.6.14

Accession Number

1960.108

Resource ID

4743

Notes

Sketchbook 6

Digital Publisher

Digital resource provided by the Maryland Center for History and Culture

Rights

This digital image is made available here for private study, scholarship, and research. Commercial and other uses are prohibited without the permission of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. For more information, visit the MCHC’s Reproductions and Permissions web page.