No. 613. Charles Street Mall, Boston Common. 1862 - 1875

Curator: This is "No. 613. Charles Street Mall, Boston Common" by John Payson Soule, a photograph held in the Harvard Art Museums. It's a rather small print. Editor: It has a lovely melancholy feel, doesn't it? That tunnel of trees, the empty benches...almost like a stage set waiting for a drama to unfold. Curator: It's interesting to consider the labor involved in creating even a seemingly simple image like this. The preparation of the photographic plates, the printing process... Editor: Exactly! And consider the lives touched by this very scene. People seeking solace, lovers strolling, the city breathing right there, frozen in time. Curator: It makes me think about how we shape our spaces, and how those spaces, in turn, shape us. Editor: I'm left wondering what stories those benches could tell.