The Lake of Geneva c. 19th century

Editor: This is Edward Goodall's "The Lake of Geneva," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a delicate piece, almost ghostly in its rendering. What's your take? Curator: It makes me consider the Victorian obsession with industrial progress, doesn't it? How does the steamboat, a product of mass production and innovation, interact with the romantic landscape? Notice the contrast in textures, the rough etching of the boat against the smooth, unworked paper. It reflects consumption and production during that time. Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn’t thought about it that way. Curator: It’s a reminder that even seemingly simple images can reveal complex social and material histories.