An itinerant artist, Boqueta de Woiseri announced his arrival in New Orleans on May 28, 1803. His painting, A View of New Orleans Taken From the Plantation of Marigny (Nov. 5, 1803), is the first known painting of New Orleans as an American city. Published six weeks before the Louisiana Purchase was officially signed on December 20, the painting reveals early New Orleans to be a vibrant city with an active port and numerous substantial buildings. Boqueta de Woiseri painted the panoramic view of the city from the vantage point of Bernard de Marigny’s plantation grounds (present day Esplanade Avenue at the Mississippi River), soon to be developed to accommodate the city’s growing population.