View from T Wharf, Boston, Mass 1855 - 1875

This stereograph, created by the Kilburn Brothers, captures a view from T Wharf in Boston. The dominant visual symbols are the masts of the ships, stretching skyward like the trees of the ancient forests—vertical axes that have always signified connection between earth and heaven, the mundane and the divine. Consider the masts not just as structural elements, but as iterations of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, which appears across cultures from Norse mythology to ancient pagan rites. These symbols resurface continually, adapted to new cultural landscapes, yet retaining their primal allure. The ship itself, laden with potential and promise, mirrors the soul's journey across the waters of life, a motif echoed in countless myths and dreams. Even today, our collective unconscious resonates with these ancient forms, engaging us on a deep, subconscious level. The cyclical progression of this symbol, the ship and its masts, reminds us of the continuous exchange between our past and present, an exchange that continually reshapes our understanding of the world.