A native of suburban Boston, Childe Hassam painted this view of Marlborough Street soon after returning from study in Paris, where he, like many American artists of his generation, acquired academic training and exposure to Impressionism. Marlborough Street, Boston showcases Hassam's skilled adoption of feathery Impressionist brushwork, which captures shifting effects of light and movement. His choice of subject-one of the city's most fashionable streets near Boston Common-also follows the French Impressionists' focus on modern urban life. Nevertheless, Hassam adamantly rejected the notion of any influence of French art on his work.
