William Trost Richards carefully described and differentiated every element of nature with nearly scientific accuracy in Landscape. As a member of The Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art, Richards was inspired by the British art critic John Ruskin’s call to uncover divine significance in the smallest elements of nature. Further, scholars have suggested that the bucolic, peaceful, and intimate nature of this painting offered viewers a respite from the harshness of the Civil War, which was still raging.