Because they picture a location as seen from above, aerial views such as this were commonly known as birds-eye views. This lithograph of Greenfield, Massachusetts, depicts the Franklin county seat near the end of the 19th century. The town's seven churches, its banks, hotels and substantial civic buildings all suggest a flourishing community. Numerous factories and mills appear along the Green River and one of the two railroad lines that serviced the town. A monument to Greenfield's Civil War soldiers occupies a central place in the commercial district. Inset drawings of a bank, a hotel, and a factory visually summarize the town's prosperity.