Appleton Chapel c. 1858

Curator: This is John Adams Whipple's "Appleton Chapel," a photograph residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels strangely austere. The bare trees and empty foreground add to this almost solemn architectural portrait. Curator: Whipple captured it during a period of transformation for American higher education, when institutions grappled with secularization amidst religious tradition. Editor: The chapel itself, in its classical design, appears as a beacon of order against the unpredictable natural world. The bare trees speak of a time of transition and introspection. Curator: Exactly. The chapel's imagery served to reinforce the values of piety and scholarship at a time when both were being questioned by a rising tide of scientific thought. Editor: Knowing this, it no longer looks austere but rather resolved, as if the building is standing steadfast in the face of change.