Terrace, Prospect Park c. 1887

William Merritt Chase created "Terrace, Prospect Park" with pastel on paper. It's an image that captures a slice of urban leisure at the end of the 19th century. Chase made this work during the American Gilded Age, a period of rapid industrialization and growing wealth inequality. Public parks like Prospect Park were intended to be democratic spaces, offering respite from the crowded and polluted city. But who really had access to these spaces, and what kind of behavior was deemed acceptable within them? The ordered landscaping and classical statuary here suggest a desire for social control, reminding me that even supposedly "public" spaces are often governed by unspoken rules and social hierarchies. The park's design was funded by a wealthy elite with ideas of social reform and the advancement of culture, but they were often used to assert class values and maintain a clear social division between themselves and the working class. As historians, we can turn to sources like park commission reports, newspaper articles, and social surveys to better understand the complex social dynamics that shaped these urban landscapes and their representation in art.