New Hampshire Highlands; verso: Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire 1860

Editor: Here we have Sanford Robinson Gifford's "New Hampshire Highlands; verso: Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire," from an unknown date, rendered in pencil. It’s faint and unassuming, yet I find it captivating. What story do you think it tells? Curator: It speaks volumes about the democratization of landscape art and tourism. Artists like Gifford helped popularize these locations. How do you think the rise of leisure travel influenced the subjects artists chose? Editor: I hadn't considered tourism. Perhaps artists were creating what the public wanted to see, shaping their perceptions? Curator: Exactly! And these images, displayed in galleries and homes, reinforced the cultural value of the American landscape, often obscuring the realities of industrialization or indigenous displacement. Think about that relationship. Editor: It's fascinating to consider the image not just as scenery but as a constructed idea. Thanks for sharing that perspective. Curator: My pleasure. Considering the socio-political influences really brings the piece to life.