View of Field and Tress (from Sketchbook VII) 1886

William Trost Richards made this graphite "View of Field and Trees" sketch, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Richards, a white male artist working in the 19th century, was deeply immersed in the cultural and artistic values of his time. He was part of the Hudson River School movement which emphasized the beauty of the American landscape, often reinforcing a sense of national identity and expansionist ideas that had significant impact on indigenous populations. This small sketch, full of open space, invokes the personal experience of observing nature. Here we can ask, how do landscapes shape and reflect the stories of a nation and its people? Richards certainly saw the land in a way that elided the history of its inhabitants. The visual effect is serene, but the history is complicated. Consider how the intimate scale invites reflection on our own place within the larger narratives of land, history, and identity.