Buildings with Foliage, Baltimore, Maryland c. 19th century

Editor: This is Henry Bebie's pencil sketch, "Buildings with Foliage, Baltimore, Maryland," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a quiet scene, almost dreamlike in its delicate rendering. What do you make of this piece? Curator: The seemingly mundane subject matter is precisely what draws me in. Sketches like this offer a glimpse into the evolving urban landscape, and the selective choices of what to depict, and omit, speak volumes about the artist's perspective and the values of the time. What aspects stand out to you? Editor: I hadn't considered it that way, focusing on the choices of what *not* to include. Thanks! Curator: Indeed! And appreciating that this sketch now resides in the Harvard Art Museums further shapes its context, transforming a simple study into a document of cultural and artistic history.