I've always found this series of paintings by Thomas Cole from the mid-1800s to be thought provoking:
The Course of Empire"The Savage State" (click for a bigger version):
"The Arcadian or Pastoral State" (click for a bigger version):
"The Consummation of Empire" (click for a bigger version):
"Destruction" (click for a bigger version):
"Desolation" (click for a bigger version):