Everett Shinn pictured Washington Square more than twenty times between 1899 and 1951. Shinn spoke of his fascination with Washington Square on numerous occasions. In 1911, he commented: "That north side of Washington Square with the Washington Arch is fine…there is nothing like it. The architecture of the row of houses is the best—it is the only mark to be found in New York of a fine old city. As architecture it is famous. The row of houses is well known abroad, as it has been picked out for special praise by foreign critics.…Yes. When I want to be sure to find beauty I go to Washington Square.…when you want to be reasonably sure of getting a good meal you prefer to go to your favorite restaurant, don't you? Part of the meal you get may be bad, but the chances are that the rest of it will suit you—aren't they? Well, the same sort of thing happens with me and Washington Square. No matter what the conditions may be under which I see it—no matter what my mood may be—I feel almost sure that it will appeal to me as beautiful. So that's where I go" (Shinn is quoted in "What is the Most Beautiful Spot in New York," The New York Times, June 18, 1911, p. 4, 10).

The Washington Arch appears prominently in Shinn's pictures, and it is intriguing to consider Shinn's depictions of the structure as a kind of tribute to his comrade and supporter Stanford White. The men developed a friendship after meeting in 1900 at the salon of the pioneering interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe. That year the architect helped him secure his first solo exhibition at the prestigious Boussod, Valadon Gallery. White encouraged his friends and patrons to purchase Shinn's pictures, and remained an important ally until his murder at the hands of Harry Thaw in 1906. Shinn cloaked his images of the Square in atmospheric mists or hazy tonalities. New Yorkers appear in a whirl of motion and activity, struggling to cross the street against wind-driven rain or snow. Pavements glisten with rain or snow.