Between 1750 and 1850, Bostonians transformed Boston Common from an open pasture into a formal public park. However, the physical landscape was not the only aspect of the park that changed. Human relationships with the landscape, and with each other through park usage, evolved over the course of this period. 

With the help of Historic New England's Collections, this digital project studies four works of art that each depict imagery of Boston's natural landscape and how Bostonians related to it. Consequently, these artifacts offer an intriguing window into the overlap between social, environmental, and material history between 1750 and 1850. While this project lends a particular focus to Boston Common, these artifacts push us to analyze the ways in which Bostonians related to all of the city's green spaces in a moment before the massive land reclamation projects of the later nineteenth century.  From a broader perspective, they also prompt us to consider the function of these artifacts as visual mediums.  

What follows is an in-depth analysis of four pieces of art, taken from a few distinct moments over this hundred year period. By examining each artifact's visual details, we can develop a better understanding of how the relationship between locals and the Common evolved. Similarly, we can foster an understanding of the purpose behind each object by questioning why they were made, who made them, how they were displayed, why they were displayed, and who owned them.