(Reference text reading
assignment)
19th Century
American Landscape Design Vocabulary (parks and private estates) inspired by
English parks and gardens
North America—fertile
ground for British based botanical exploration
A.J. Downing (1815-1852)
Author, self taught botanist and student of the picturesque
Books and magazines affect a
change in landscape gardening in America during the mid-19th century
1st major work: A
Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening
Gains reputation as a
horticultural authority and tastemaker
1846 Editor of Horticulturist
Magazine
Advice
on:
rural
architecture
transplanting
trees
enriching
soils
growing
orchards
making
wine
Also—promotes
the planting of shade trees in villages, towns, cities
Idea
of a park in NYC introduced as a place for public refinement
Other
books/magazines/journals:
Cottage Residences (1842)
The Fruits and Fruit trees
of America (1845)
The Architecture of Country
Houses (1850)
Goals / perspectives:
Educate Americans on good
taste, a champion of the middle class
Faith in education to raise
status / encourage appreciation of beauty
Architectural
and Landscaping recommendations---increase personal joy and comfort. (Martha Stewart of the 19th
century)
Travels to
England—partnership with English architect Calvert Vaux (1850’s)
Frederick Law Olmstead
(1822-1903)
Landscape design philosophy
Defined role for landscape
architects
Social vision / values
Administrative skills
Life as a Farmer
The Walks and Talks of an
American Farmer in England
Philosophy of the profession
Superintendent of NY’s
Central park
A design competition for the
design of Central park in 1858
Calvert
Vaux.
Designing schools, villages,
and estates
Promoting community,
domesticity, and taste
The root of his work
Scenery
Olmstead’s 3 aspects
of nature
• mystery caused by deep
shadows, and the play of light and shadow
• richness of foliage and
the lushness of growth
• peacefulness as evoked
by gently rolling meadows with scattered shade trees or small bodies of water
that reflected trees and sky.
The
natural character of the site.
The
difference between gardening and landscape architecture
Imaginative
and original work
original
in the sense that his work was reasoned
(whereas
most work in the same field at the time merely followed a pattern
of
whatever happened to be the usual, fashionable, or proper thing)