Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1777
Today we have a painting of Savin Hill from approximately the same view point as yesterday’s illustration of the railroad bridge. It is called Dorchester 1856. “This is one of Edward Mitchell Bannister’s few surviving paintings from the 1850s. In this view of Dorchester, Massachusetts, the artist included the stately homes dotting the coast. This was likely a marketing tactic, for he hoped to appeal to the wealthy merchants living in those “cottages.” Bannister spent summers sailing around Massachusetts and Rhode Island on daily outings that allowed him to sketch and paint familiar views for his wealthy patrons in Boston and Providence.”(Hartigan, Sharing Traditions, 1985).
Edward Mitchell Bannister was a painter who was active in the Boston area. He was born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1828, and he died in Providence, Rhode Island in 1901.
It is curious to contrast this painting with the 1855 engraving we saw yesterday showing the railroad bridge. The railroad line to Plymouth had opened in 1845. So in 1856 Bannister must have consciously left the railroad out of his composition.
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