This painting by Childe Hassam depicts Fifth Avenue in New York City in the rain, draped with U.S. flags. It is one of six works by Hassam in the permanent collection of the White House

Between 1916 and 1919, Hassam completed around thirty paintings of streets decorated with flags. This particular work dates to February 1917, shortly before the U.S. entered the First World War, at a time when patriotism was rising

Dominated by red and blue tones representing the Flag of the United States, the painting also shows several dark figures holding umbrellas in the middle distance. Many smaller flags seem to float in mid-air, hanging from poles projecting from unseen buildings. Colorful reflections are seen on the wet road and sidewalks

Hassam likely got the inspiration for this series from Claude Monet’s Rue Montorgueil, which was painted in 1878 and features a multitude of the French Tricolor flag at the occasion of a national celebration in Paris

This painting was donated to the White House in 1963 by Thomas Mellon Evans during the era of John F. Kennedy. Upon becoming president, Barack Obama chose to display it in the Oval Office