Frontispiece from the book, Memorial History of Boston, "View from Cotton or Pemberton Hill, 1816"

Description

This frontispiece to "The Memorial History of Boston", edited by Justin Winsor and published by Ticknor and Company in 1880, is a print of the 1829 painting by Robert Salmon entitled, "Boston Harbor from Mr. Greene's House, Pemberton Hill". Salmon completed the massive painting (95 x 180 inches). The panoramic view of the harbor and the city includes Faneuil Hall and the Old State House. Also known as Cotton Hill, Pemberton Hill was one of the three peaks of the Trimount area of Boston, which was reduced by sixty-five feet starting in 1835 and later became known as Pemberton Square. The cupola to the far right belongs to the Ebenezer Francis summer house. The name "Wilbar" appears in the lower left corner and the name "Kilburn" appears in the lower right corner. Kilburn is probably the engraver Samuel Smith Kilburn, whose designing and engraving business was located at 96 Washington Street in Boston. Mr. Wilbar was an employee in his department of machine drawing.