This exhibition explores the artwork of Austrian-born watercolorist and journalist Lily Spandorf (1914-2000).

Working with pen, ink, watercolor, and gouache, Spandorf became known for the news illustrations she created for the Washington Star, Christian Science Monitor, and Washington Post, among many other periodicals.

Late in her career, she was celebrated for passionately recording the transformation of Washington, D.C.’s urban landscape, especially the many red-brick, late-nineteenth-century buildings facing demolition, being demolished, or whose historical contexts were erased for modern construction. 

This exhibition was co-produced by the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and the George Washington University Museum | The Textile Museum.