Landscape with Figures in Boat, North Conway, New Hampshire; verso: blank page 1859

Curator: This is Benjamin Champney’s “Landscape with Figures in Boat, North Conway, New Hampshire.” Though undated, it’s a delicate pencil sketch capturing a serene river scene, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: My first impression is quietude. The soft lines, the figures dwarfed by the trees, it feels like a moment of peaceful contemplation. Curator: Champney was a key figure in the White Mountain School. This sketch reflects the popular 19th-century embrace of the American landscape and how that translated into a burgeoning tourist industry centered on experiencing these vistas. Editor: The boat imagery is interesting – a vessel for both travel and leisure. Perhaps representing a symbolic journey into the American wilderness? Curator: Absolutely, the image promotes the idea of the sublime experience of nature being accessible and safe, via leisure activities. The scale, however, is quite intimate. Editor: And that intimacy invites us to consider our own relationship with nature, both as observers and participants. Curator: A charming intersection of place, promotion, and personal reflection. Editor: Indeed, a small window into a larger cultural narrative.