General view of Public Gardens, Boston, MA, 1944

About this postcard

An elevated view looks across the Public Garden in Boston, with the equestrian statue of George Washington on its circular mound in the foreground, formal beds of red flowers along curving paths, and the lagoon at the right. The wooded slope of Beacon Hill and the city skyline, including a gilded dome, rise behind the park. The printed caption uses the plural "Public Gardens"; the park is commonly known as the Public Garden. Covering about twenty-five acres beside Boston Common, the garden was laid out in 1837 on filled marshland and became the first public botanical garden in the United States. The Washington statue by Thomas Ball was dedicated in 1869, and the swan boats began operating on the lagoon in 1877. The artificial pond is the setting for the swan boats.