Boston Harbor from Mr. Greene's House, Pemberton Hill

Details

Descriptive Terms

landscapes (representations)
paintings (visual works)
canvas
tempera
Painting

Label

"Cherished Possessions": Within a few months of his arrival in Boston, Massachusetts, the English-trained painter Robert Salmon commenced this enormous painting. According to his journal, he began it on March 1, 1829, worked for forty-two days, and completed it on April 12. The gigantic panorama was the centerpiece of an exhibition he assembled in November 1829 with the aim of establishing himself as the finest artist in his newly adopted city. The scene depicts a thriving maritime and commercial city containing some of the finest buildings in the country. Boston, at that time the nation's fourth largest city, was renowned for its beautiful architecture. Six years later, Greene's house, which Salmon had used as his vantage point, was demolished, and the earth at the top of Pemberton Hill was shaved off, carted away, and used to make new land in the city's Back Bay.

People and Organizations

Boston Harbor

Maker

Salmon, Robert, 1775 (Artist)

Location of Origin

Boston, MA, USA

Dimensions

100 x 183 (HxW) (inches)

Credit Line

Museum Purchase

Accession Number

1927.430

Places

Massachusetts (United States)
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)