Catalogue Entry

This view of the landscape south of Worcester, Massachusetts, and the related view Burbankville to Blackstone River, n.d. (inv. 457), were sketched by Fitz Henry Lane and published in 1836 or 1837, not long after Thomas Moore acquired the printing firm from William S. Pendleton. The prints show Millbury and the village of Burbankville. Located in the Blackstone River Valley, both areas enjoyed a period of growth during the 1830s as textile and other manufactories flourished.

Although these two prints depict distinct communities, they are more typical of landscapes than town views as the built environments do not dominate the composition. In fact, the inclusion of cows in the foregrounds and the extraordinary attention to detail in the shrubs, flowers and stone walls suggests that Lane was pondering the implications of the shifting economy as residents of the area transitioned  away from an agrarian way of life to a more urban one.

• Subject Types: 
  • Landscape »
  • Townscape »
• Landscape Types: 
  • Farm / Buildingscape »
  • Field / Meadow »
• Animals & People: 
  • Livestock (horse / sheep / cow) »
• Activities of People: 
  • Farming »