Landscapes and
Street Scenes
Old Glory
Beacon Hill is a neighborhood in Boston,
Massachusetts, that borders the Boston Common and the Boston Public
Garden. It covers about one square mile and is presently home to
approximately 10,000 people. It is a neighborhood of Federal-style row
houses, with some of the highest property values in the nation. Known for
its narrow streets, brick sidewalks and gas-lit streets, it has been home
to many famous Americans including Louisa May Alcott, Robert Frost, John
Hancock, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Cabot Lodge, Sylvia Plath, David Lee
Roth, Carly Simon and Daniel Webster to name a few.
“Acorn Street, which is pictured in ‘Old Glory’, is a narrow lane
within Beacon Hill that is paved with cobblestones. It is often mentioned
as the most picturesque street in Boston. At twilight, the focal point of
the whole street is the flag which literally glows in the dimming light.
Elements in the painting are sometimes changed for both metaphoric and
aesthetic reasons. The street light on the upper left is not lighted. This
I did to keep the eye traveling to the interior of the lane. If it had
been lit, it would have reflected off all the brick walls around it taking
the viewer to that area rather than down the lane to ‘Old Glory’.”
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