Sunset on Mount Chocorua, New Hampshire 1872

William Trost Richards created this oil on paper painting, ‘Sunset on Mount Chocorua, New Hampshire,’ sometime during his career. It's a serene scene, typical of the White Mountains School of painting, which flourished in the mid-19th century. This artistic movement emerged alongside growing interest in landscape as a marker of national identity. As more Americans moved to cities, the wilderness became an idealized space, a repository of values seen as fading in urban life. Artists like Richards captured these scenes, feeding a public appetite for images of untouched nature. Mount Chocorua itself had become a popular tourist destination, accessible via the expanding railway lines. So, while the painting presents a seemingly pristine wilderness, it's also a product of increasing industrialization and tourism. To understand the painting fully, one might consult travel guides and period writings to get a sense of how the public perceived these landscapes. We see that the meaning of art is always changing, shaped by the institutions and social contexts in which it circulates.