Thomas Kennet-Were was an artist and a widely traveled English aristocrat. In 1868 he embarked on a tour of the U.S., during which he kept a detailed diary. He published his journal in The Gazette, an English newspaper.

His journey took him from New York City through to California by boat, foot, wagon and train. Along the way he captured the scenery of America in 62 remarkable watercolor paintings.

In New York, he observed the towering multi-storied shops and the bustling harbor. In New Orleans, he was surprised to discover that the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Louisiana was a Black man.

Crossing the West on the still under construction Union Pacific Railroad, he stopped in at a saloon in Sidney, Nebraska. He noted that “the young ladies of the place were pirouetting with six shooters hanging from their girdles”.

See the Thomas Kennet-Were watercolors and read his diary in the digital collection at UW’s American Heritage Center.