View of Boston 

Thomas Cole painted this view of Boston in the United States in the early nineteenth century using oil on canvas. In this period, the American landscape became a popular vehicle to express ideas about national identity. Cole’s painting shows an elevated view of Boston from across a wide expanse of wooded countryside. In the foreground, we see a shepherd and a flock of sheep that seem to emphasize the pastoral tranquility of the scene. But in the distance, we can see the towers and spires of Boston itself, reminding us of the presence of a growing urban society. Cole seems to set up a contrast between an idealized view of nature and the reality of social change, and it could be argued that he is critiquing the march of progress in Jacksonian America. As art historians, we can look at the social history of this period, the rise of industrial capitalism, and the beginnings of the conservation movement to better understand the social conditions that shaped the production of this painting. Through interdisciplinary methods, we can see how Cole's art speaks to us today.