Illustrated History of LA - 19th Century

Question 1

19th-century landscape

Answer 1

urban, public, and Romantic

Question 2

John Claudius Loudon (1783–1843)

Answer 2

known for his prolific contributions to the literature of landscape design and his progressive views on public space.

He published Gardener’s Magazine from 1826 to 1843, a popular source of garden information for the middle-class homeowner

He designed the Derby Arboretum, which opened to the public in 1840

Question 3

Joseph Paxton (1803–1865)

Answer 3

he authored and published several gardening journals; he designed buildings and engineered sites; he was a Fellow of the Horticultural Society, and an elected Member of Parliament. His innovations in glasshouse technology and his advocacy of public parks are two particular contributions we examine here.

built the conservatory (the “Great Stove”) at Chatsworth in 1836, the largest glasshouse ever constructed at the time.

he designed the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park

was first to develop the idea of “subscription plots” to help make public parks economically feasible.4

Question 4

Birkenhead Park in Liverpool, designed by Paxton in 1843

Answer 4

The first park publicly funded and maintained, and opened to everyone, the park opened in 1847

Frederick Law Olmsted visited the park in 1850 and was particularly impressed by its unique circulation system, which separated carriage traffic from pedestrian traffic.

Question 5

William Robinson (1838–1935)

Answer 5

referred to the geometrical presentation of plants as “degrading the true garden art to the level of the pastrycook’s notions of design

In his book The Wild Garden, published in 1870, he proposed a natural approach to planting based on the horticultural needs and artistic qualities of the plants

In his book of 1883, The English Flower Garden, Robinson cataloged all the new plant species introduced in the 19th century and focused on creating lowmaintenance habitats. .

Question 6

Reginald T. Blomfield (1856–1942)

Answer 6

called for a return to formality

In 1892, he wrote The Formal Garden in England, citing the Italianate terrace garden as the perfect example of garden art.

Question 7

architect Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944) and landscape designer Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932).

Answer 7

art and nature met in the partnership

Lutyens created the structural geometry for Jekyll’s softscape

Question 8

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

Answer 8

was elected consul for life by representatives of the people of France under the provisions of their new constitution (France’s “fi rst republic”).

Question 9

Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann (1809–1891)

Answer 9

was appointed Prefect of the Seine (city manager) by Napoleon III in 1853

He implemented the emperor’s plan for modernizing the city of Paris, which involved upgrading the existing infrastructure and adding new tree-lined boulevards, road junctions, green squares, and parks.

Question 10

Haussmann appointed engineer-designer Jean-Charles-Adolphe Alphand (1817–1891) as head of the division of Promenades et Plantations

Answer 10

the agency responsible for carrying out the redevelopment plan

Alphand established a coherent design language for all public spaces in the city

Question 11

The Bois de Boulogne

Answer 11

a former royal hunting park, was opened to the public by Louis XIV and given to the city in 1851

Question 12

Radial allées and rond-points

Answer 12

typical of French formalism inscribed the dense woodlands.

Question 13

The refurbished park was a popular attraction

Answer 13

Olmsted met with Alphand in 1859 and toured the Bois de Boulogne.

Question 14

Gustave Eiffel

Answer 14

designed the iron tracery of the Eiffel Tower—at 984 feet high, it remains one of the tallest structures in the world.

Question 15

public park and the idea of a wilderness aesthetic

Answer 15

The important contributions to the history of landscape architecture in 19th-century America

Question 16

The works of both Andrew Jackson Downing and Frederick Law Olmsted

Answer 16

were shaped by the aesthetics of the English landscape garden and the ideals of social reform.

Question 17

ANDREW JACKSON DOWNING (1815–1852)

Answer 17

His early training was in horticulture.

His book, A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to North America

His belief that environment influenced behavior formed the focus of his professional career. Downing’s early support of the public’s right to open space was crucial to the eventual realization of Central Park in Manhattan.

Question 18

architect Calvert Vaux (1824–1895) met Downing in England and persuaded Vaux to join his practice in New York

Answer 18

Vaux later formed an equally influential partnership with Olmsted.

Question 19

In 1804, Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Answer 19

as one of the first cemeteries in which plots could be purchased in perpetuity. It was a blend of both formal and informal geometries.

Question 20

Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Answer 20

was developed in 1831 by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society as an experimental garden, arboretum, and cemetery.

Its sweeping lawns, lakes, native trees, and exotic flowers were reminiscent of English landscape gardens, and became the vocabulary of park design.

Question 21

FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED (1822–1903)

Answer 21

Olmsted was a gentleman farmer who had a keen interest in the cultural landscape

He toured the English landscape in 1850 and commented on the success of Birkenhead Park.

Question 22

“the Greensward Plan”
preserved the wooded area and exposed bedrock in the middle part of the site, south of the reservoir, which they called “The Ramble.”

Extensive site engineering was necessary to create the many lakes and sloping lawns within the park

They included a formal pedestrian mall and terrace

Answer 22

Winning entry of Olmsted teamed up with Calvert Vaux: entered the competition for the design of Central Park in New York City

Question 23

boating and skating

Answer 23

were the only organized sports originally accommodated in Central Park

Question 24

Prospect Park

Answer 24

In 1866, Olmsted and Vaux collaborated on the design of the 526-acre park in Brooklyn for 8-year period

Question 25

Boston’s “Emerald Necklace” in 1875 by Olmsted

Answer 25

drainage and flood control project along the Back Bay Fens

Question 26

Olmsted and Vaux developed a park system for Buffalo, New York, in 1868

Answer 26

Landscaped boulevards, 200 feet wide, connect Delaware Park, the 350-acre centerpiece,

Question 27

linear greenway

Answer 27

linked the Boston Common with Jamaica Pond, the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park, the 500-acre “jewel.”

Question 28

The Biltmore estate, in Asheville, North Carolina

Answer 28

was Olmsted’s last private commission began to develop site plan in 1888

Question 29

Olmsted collaborated with Gifford Pinchot in 1898

Answer 29

to develop a school for scientific forestry on the grounds, the extents of which reached over 120,000 acres

Question 30

The idea of a “nation’s park”

Answer 30

is deeply rooted in the American character

Question 31

The landscape of Yosemite Valley

Answer 31

equally valued as an icon of American identity

Question 32

John Muir

Answer 32

a naturalist, environmental observer, and founder of the Sierra Club, advocated a preservation ethic and concluded that nature should be left alone

Question 33

Gifford Pinchot

Answer 33

a forester, advocated a conservation ethic based on the wise use and management of resources through scientifi c principles such as sustained yield of forests

Question 34

Muir’s relationship with President Theodore Roosevelt

Answer 34

was key to the setting aside of public lands to be established as national parks

Question 35

Stephen Mather

Answer 35

the first chief of the Park Service, determined criteria for designating park land (scenic value, scientific value, or historic value)

Question 36

The World’s Columbian Exposition - became known as the “Chicago World’s Fair”

Answer 36

was held in 1893 to showcase American progress since Columbus’s arrival 400 years earlier

lasting impact was the new spirit of multidisciplinary collaboration and the growing sense of civic pride that inspired the City Beautiful movement in the early 20th century.

Question 37

Daniel Burnham (1846–1912)

Answer 37

a BeauxArts-trained designer collaborated with Olmsted to create the master plan for the fairgrounds

Question 38

19th Century Summary

Answer 38

The Industrial Revolution brought widespread change to the landscape and to society. The shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy created a new class of low-wage workers in European and American cities. Social reformers lobbied to improve the living conditions of the urban poor by providing public parks. The aesthetic language of the English landscape garden was adopted as a model for the parks, and persists in the Western imagination as an icon of nature. The physical and social structures that have come to define city life took shape in the 19th century.
The Romantic sentiment of the 19th century contributed to a conception of nature as being restorative. People understood the political, economic and social value of the landscape, and campaigned to access its benefits. By the end of the century, landscape architecture was established as a profession in America.

Question 39

ENGLAND

Answer 39

Beds and Borders

Question 40

FRANCE

Answer 40

Place and Promenade

Question 41

AMERICA

Answer 41

Mountains and Monuments