Lake Mooselucmaguntic, Maine 1878

Editor: This is Benjamin Champney’s pencil sketch, "Lake Mooselucmaguntic, Maine." It’s small, almost intimate, and very delicate. What strikes me is how seemingly unfinished it feels. What's your take on it? Curator: I see this as a quintessential example of nineteenth-century American landscape art's evolving relationship with nature and tourism. These sketches often served as preparatory studies for larger, more finished paintings intended for public display. Consider the rise of tourism in Maine at this time. Editor: So, you're suggesting it's less about the lake itself and more about the *idea* of the lake, packaged for consumption? Curator: Precisely. It catered to a growing desire for picturesque scenery, reflecting a broader cultural shift towards appreciating the wilderness, and its potential for commercialisation. Did Champney return to this sketch in other works? Editor: That's fascinating. It makes me think about how artists can both celebrate and commodify a landscape simultaneously. Curator: Indeed. And it reminds us to question the cultural forces shaping even the most seemingly simple landscapes.