From his residence in the Waldorf Astoria Towers, The Honorable John Bolton, America’s ambassador to the United Nations, can look out over Manhattan’s dramatic cityscape. But even on a clear day, the view can’t compare to the art inside. For the public areas of their new home, Mr. Bolton and his wife, Gretchen, have selected a collection of paintings that represent America, past and present. Tonight, they will host a private reception in the residence to celebrate their recently hung paintings by the likes of Gilbert Stuart, James Peale, and James Smiley, as well as two living artists.

The most stunning of the works in the residence is Stuart’s grand portrait of George Washington, c. 1795, which presides over the dining room. For maximum effect, it is hung between two mirrored gold sconces – topped by eagles – that date from the 18th century.

A smaller painting of Washington’s farewell address, by William Clarke, hangs opposite depictions of American Indians and a fierce portrait of Daniel Boone.

“I don’t quite like the look in his eyes,” Ms. Bolton said, jokingly.

The paintings in this room and throughout the residence are on loan from the Alexander Gallery, run by Alexander Acevedo. Typically, when a new ambassador takes over a post, he is invited to choose artwork through a State Department office that maintains relationships with selected galleries. But the Boltons took a different approach.

“The galleries were all contemporary. It was not what I was looking for,” Ms. Bolton said.”And my husband likes representational work.”

A member of Mr. Bolton’s team suggested approaching the Alexander Gallery, where Ms. Bolton found major works that celebrate America and, in some cases, New York. In the entrance area is a William Ramey painting that illustrates the purchase of Manhattan island from Indians by the Dutch in 1626. In the den are two views of an upstate fortress by a member of the Hudson River School, John Carlin, and a painting of Saranac Lake by John Jameson.

Before borrowing these portraits of America, the Boltons had displayed the work of two living American artists. The first was Margaret Kranking, who paints scenes of America ranging from Alaskan landscapes to Madison Avenue to the Pacific Coast. “When we first moved in, we borrowed 11 paintings from Kranking,” said Ms. Bolton.

The second was a series of black-andwhite pictures by the Wyoming-born photographer Adam Jahiel. The pictures, in a group titled “The Last American Cowboy,” capture the American West and its characters. Selected works by both Mr. Jahiel and Ms. Kranking remain on view in the residence.

Though their work celebrates America as it is today, the majority of the collection in the residence is devoted to early America and, more specifically, to images of George Washington. A watercolor by Thomas Stothard de picting the first president is hung just around the corner from a niche containing a bust and silhouette, by unknown artists, of Washington.

In the dining room is a map of the world by German artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, who painted Washington crossing the Delaware. This map painting, though, doesn’t include China or Japan, which might be tricky in the home of a diplomat. What to do if the Japanese ambassador stopped by? “We’d have a sense of humor about it,” Ms. Bolton said.

Unlike other jobs that Mr. Bolton has held, the U.N. position requires him to be in New York – rather than on the road – much of the time. So when she selected the paintings, Ms. Bolton kept that, and her husband’s preferences, in mind: “Making this a place of beauty and comfort was an important thing.”