Gezicht op Prospect Hill en zogenaamde "Poor Farm" in de buurt van Waltham, Massachusetts before 1879

This albumen print from an illustrated book shows Prospect Hill and the so-called "Poor Farm" near Waltham, Massachusetts. It was made by Thomas R. Lewis, a photographer active in the latter half of the 19th century. The inclusion of a "poor farm" in this vista is a stark reminder of the economic disparities of the time. These institutions were intended to provide housing and work for the indigent, but often became sites of exploitation and social control. Lewis's photograph captures a landscape imbued with both natural beauty and social inequality. The images and text, presented side-by-side, offer a glimpse into the complex and often contradictory narratives that shaped the New England landscape. The phrase “Eliot’s Indian Church” and the accompanying paragraph hint at colonial settlement’s troubled relationship with indigenous people. Lewis’s photograph invites us to reflect on the stories we tell about the land and whose voices are included and excluded from those narratives. It serves as a reminder that even the most picturesque scenes can conceal histories of dispossession and hardship.