The Potomac River, which flows between Washington, DC and Virginia, was an important theme in Wright’s DC world. He explored the river’s rhythms, reflections, light, colors, as well as its additional atmospheric character at dawn, dusk, and sparkling high noon. Using telescoping perspective and other panoramic effects, he also draws our attention to the Potomac’s expansive, majestic scope. Typical of Wright, he was interested in life along the DC waterway and pursued authentic experiences to add to his artistic expression. For his series on rowers along the Potomac, Wright joined the George Washington University crew team for dawn practice on the Potomac. For his Civil War paintings along the river, the artist sought (and found!) for the very rocks depicted in the historical photographs he used as sources.