This souvenir photograph album (12cm x 18cm), which contains 10 albumen prints, is bound in blue pebbled book-cloth and has the title "Album Photographs[,] Bunker Hill Monument" stamped in gold on its cover. The first 2 pictures show the Bunker Hill Monument (a stone obelisk) and the statue of Colonel William Prescott, respectively. The remaining 8 photographs are aerial views of Charlestown and the surrounding area taken from the monument, showing residences, industrial buildings, the Charlestown Navy Yard, and the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Sailing ships are visible in many of the aerial views. The album belonged to Lucia K. Hathaway, who inscribed her name on its first page on November 15, 1884.
Standing on Breed's Hill in Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, the Bunker Hill Monument commemorates the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill, which occurred on June 17, 1775. In 1823, the Bunker Hill Monument Association was established to fund construction of a 221-foot granite obelisk, which was dedicated on June 17, 1843. Visitors can climb the interior of the structure, which offers panoramic views of Boston. The site also has a statue of Colonel William Prescott and an exhibit space.
