New land, new interest in landscape
Between 1803-1853 the land area of the United States quadruples -- see maps in Pohl pp.130 & 191
Landscape painting rises in popularity as it depicts the newly-acquired territories
Interest in landscapes indicate a spiritual shift from Enlightenment Deism to “Christianized naturalism,” an appreciation of the natural world as a reflection of God -- “God as nature, God in nature,” immanent, God’s order idealized as natural order
Landscapes also indicate ambivalence toward the new territories: its spiritual qualities vs. its potential for economic development (Brooks quote in Pohl p.134)