Artist unknown

Mars Hill, Athens, n.d.

Albumen print

In 1830, Greece, with the aid of Britain, Russia and France, secured their independence from the Ottoman Empire. As a result, travel became easier and ever more popular among westerners who considered this country the birthplace of democracy, rational thought and reason. These ideas resonated with westerners who saw themselves as the heirs to this grand history. Democratic freedoms and reasoned thinking had resulted in remarkable scientific discoveries and the vibrancy of the industrial revolution. Artistic and architectural wonders also spurred travel to Greece. As early as the eighteenth century, several influential texts on Greek culture had been written which described its artistic development as an evolving process that ultimately bore aesthetic perfection, exemplified in the statuary at the Acropolis. Though competing artistic styles developed in the nineteenth century which countered this overwhelming praise of Greek art, many among the public continued to view these classical examples as the ultimate accomplishment. Biblical associations in Greece further solidified this country as a tourist hub. Mars Hill, Athens, for example, shows a rocky outcropping, which at one point served as the seat of the Athenian government, and was the site where St. Paul is said to have preached a sermon imploring others to convert to Christianity.

n.d.

Artist unknown

Gift of Dr. Corlette Rossiter Walker

1984.87a