Start your eyes in the lower left-hand corner and follow along the path to the buildings in the distance.

What appears to be moving in this scene and what is still?

Where do you see the color red used?

How would you like to travel through this park—by trolley, carriage, or by foot?

[Click the "zoom" button to get a closer look.]

When Hassam painted this scene, the center of New York City was still south of 34th Street. Union Square Park, located between 14th and 17th Streets, was a destination for entertainment and shopping. Hassam painted the snowy park, trolleys, and carriages from a high standpoint looking south from the corner of 17th Street and Broadway. From 1889 to 1892, Hassam worked in a studio at 95 Fifth Avenue, one block west of Union Square. City scenes bustling with the activities of modern life were Hassam's favorite subjects.

In the background you can see the Morton House Hotel and the Domestic Sewing Machine Factory, both on 14th Street. Barely visible between them is the spire of Grace Church at 10th Street.

[Roll your mouse over the picture to find out which building is which.]