Arcadia, an idyllic rural paradise where only a few people live in harmony with nature, has appeared in art and utopias since ancient times. Note the Greek temple in the distance. In myth, Arcadia was the mythical home of the Greek god Pan. This print was a copy of Thomas Cole’s painting “Dream of Arcadia” (c. 1838). Cole often depicted American scenery as pastoral, picturesque, or sublime to inspire emotions in the viewer.
Print by James Smillie, engraver, 1850 after “Dream of Arcadia” by Thomas Cole. Courtesy of Library of Congress
Image featured in Discovering Quacks, Utopias, and Cemeteries: Modern Lessons from Historical Themes by Cynthia Resor