By Elaine Grublin

Yesterday walking around neighborhood in the sunny but crisp fall weather — Kenmore Square filled with bustling pedestrians, many carrying lightweight jackets thrown over their arms, others basking in the last warm days of season and braving the elements sans jackets — brought this image from the 1940s to  mind. Arriving at the MHS this morning I immediately went to the stacks to find the image. A close inspection revealed the image was likely captured in the spring rather than the fall, but the essence of Boston in the changing seasons is still there.

To relive this photographic moment today, head over to the Kenmore Square area and stand in front of Eastern Standard (528 Commonwealth Ave) looking down Commonwealth toward the Back Bay. In the image the two black signs on posts just behind the sign for the Kenmore Cafeteria mark the entrance to Kenmore Station.

Original photograph from Massachusetts Views, Boston Streets, Massachusetts Historical Society.