Saint Anne's Hill II c. 19th century

Curator: This is "Saint Anne's Hill II" by Edward Goodall, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's diminutive! A little vignette. The delicate etching creates such a serene and somewhat romantic scene. Curator: Indeed. Goodall was a prolific engraver. This piece likely speaks to the social conventions of representing landscape and leisure in 19th-century England. Editor: Look at the archway, it frames the landscape. It's a clever compositional trick that also symbolizes a transition into a private space. Curator: Perhaps. Or it represents how access to land and leisure was itself carefully curated and mediated by social structures. These spaces were often depicted to reinforce ideas about class and privilege. Editor: Maybe so, but the artist's control of line and shadow is remarkable, even on such a small scale. Curator: Precisely. It allows us to reflect on the layers of meaning, both intended and unintended, embedded within such seemingly simple images. Editor: A tiny window into a world, or a way of seeing.