19C Women & Gardens - American Lydia Field Emmet (1866-1952)

Lydia Field Emmet (American artist, 1866-1952) Grandmother's Garden

Lydia Field Emmet (1866 -1952) was an American artist best known for her work as a portraitist. Emmet exhibited widely during her career, and her paintings can now be found hanging in the White House, and many prestigious art galleries, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lydia Field Emmet (American artist, 1866-1952) Flowers along the White Picket Fence

Lydia Field Emmet (American artist, 1866-1952) Two Women in a Garden

Lydia Field Emmet (American artist, 1866-1952) Woman & Boy in a Garden

1764 Plants in 18C Colonial American Gardens - Virginian John Randolph (727-1784) - Lettuce

A Treatise on Gardening Written by a native of this State (Virginia)
Author was John Randolph (1727-1784)
Written in Williamsburg, Virginia about 1765
Published by T. Nicolson, Richmond, Virginia. 1793
The only known copy of this booklet is found in the Special Collections of the Wyndham Robertson Library at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia.

Lettuce

Lettuces, Lactuca,from lac, milk, they being of a milky substance, which is emitted when the stalk is broken. There is a common garden Lettuce which is sown for cutting young and mixing with other small salads, and is the Cabbage Lettuce degenerated, as all seed will do that is saved from .a lettuce that has not Cabbage close by. These may be sown at any season of the year. The Cabbage Lettuce should be sown every month to have a succession, and drawn, as all the sorts ought to be, to stand at different distances, and these should stand about ten inches asunder, and by replanting those that are drawn, they will head later than those which stand, by which means you may have a succession. This sort of Lettuce is the worst of all the kinds in my opinion. It is the most watery and flashy, does not grow to the size that many of the other sorts will do, and very soon runs to seed. When I Say the seed is to be sown every month, I mean only the growing months, the first of which February is esteemed, and August the last. In August you should sow your last crop, about the beginning of the month, and in October transplant them into a rich border, sheltered from the weather by a box with a lid, which should be opened every morning and closed in the evening, and in the month of February you will have fine loaf lettuces; a lettuce is a hardy plant, particularly the Dutch brown, and will stand most of our winters, if covered only with peas, asparagus haum, mats or straw. In order to have good seed, you should make choice of some of your best Cabbage, and largest plants, which will run up to seed, and should be secured by a stick, stuck into the ground; and different sorts should not stand together, for the farina will intermix and prejudice each other, and none but good plants should be together for seed; experience has shown that the bad will vitiate the good, and the seed from the plants that have stood the winter are best. The seed is good at two years old, and will grow at three, if carefully preserved.

The Siiesia, imperial white, and upright Cos Lettuce, should be sown in February or beginning of March, and should he drawn so as to stand, Miller says, eighteen inches at least distance from each other, but thinks two feet much better.

The Egyptian green Cos, and the Versailles upright Cos and Silesia, are most esteemed in England as the sweetest and finest, though the imperial wants not its advocates. I, for my own part, give it the preference for three reasons, the first is, that it washes by far the easiest of any; second, that it will remain longer before it goes to seed than any other, except the Dutch brown; and lastly, that it is the crispest and most delicious of them all.

The Dutch Brown, and green Capuchin are very hardy, will stand the winters best, and remain in the heat of summer three weeks longer than any other before they go to seed, which renders them valuable, though they are not so handsome or elegant a Lettuce as any of the former. They may be sown as the common garden Lettuce in the spring, and in August as before.

The Aibppo and Roman Lettuce cabbage the soonest of any, and may be propagated for that reason; the first is a very spotted Lettuce: Col. Ludwell gave me some of the seed, but it did not please me so well as the other more common sorts; all the seed on a stalk will not ripen at the same time, so you must cut your stalk when some of the first seed are ripe. Mice are very fond of the seed. Some Lettuces show a disposition to head without assistance^ these should not be touched, but where they throw their leaves back, they should be tied up, though that restrains them from growing to a great size. They will not flourish but in richl and, and if dunged, the dung should not be very low, because the root of a lettuce will not go down so low as the dung is commonly spitted into the ground. The time for gathering the seed is when the plants show their down. Transplanting, it is said, contributes towards cabbaging; but they will cabbage, from my experience, every bit as well without. By transplanting you retard the growth, and by that means may have a succession.

Tho Jefferson (1743-1824) Writes about Gardening

 

Thomas Jefferson by Tadeusz Andrzej Bonawentura Kosciuszko (1746 - 1817) 

1809 September 22.  (Jefferson to Benjamin Rush).  "I am endeavoring to recover the little I once knew of farming, gardening Etc. and would gladly now exchange any branch of science I possess for the knolege of a common farmer. too old to learn, I must be contented with the occupation & amusement of the art. already it keeps me so much without doors that I have little time to read, & still less to write."

Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence & a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, & educator & the founder of Dickinson College. Rush attended the Continental Congress. He served as Surgeon General of the Continental Army & became a professor of chemistry, medical theory, & clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Rush was a leader of the American Enlightenment & an enthusiastic supporter of the American Revolution. He was a leader in Pennsylvania's ratification of the Constitution in 1788. He opposed slavery, advocated free public schools, & sought improved education for women & a more enlightened penal system. As a leading physician, Rush had a major impact on the emerging medical profession. As an Enlightenment intellectual, he was committed to organizing all medical knowledge around explanatory theories, rather than rely on empirical methods.

Research & images & much more are directly available from the Monticello.org website. 

Garden Walls by American Winslow Homer 1836-1910

Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910)  Girl and Laurel 

Winslow Homer was an American artist. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19C America and a preeminent figure in American art. Largely self-taught, Homer began his career working as a commercial illustrator.

"The sun will not rise or set without my notice, and thanks." Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Peach Blossoms
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Girl in a Garden
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Peach Blossoms
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Girls with Lobster
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) The Garden Wall

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) On the Fence

19C Women & Gardens - American Frederick Childe Hassam 1859-1935

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Poppies on the Isles of Shoals, Maine.

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Celia Thaxter in Her Garden.

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Garden, Isles of Shoals, Maine.
Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Reading in the Garden at Villers le Be 1889

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). After Breakfast. 1887

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Lilies. 1910

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Mrs Hassam in the Garden. 1896

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Reading. Date Unknown

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). In a French Garden. 1897

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). The Artist's Wife in a Garden Villiers le Bel. 1889

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Gathering Flowers in a French Garden. ca 1888

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Lady in the Park. 1897

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Woman Cutting Roses in a Garden. 1888-89

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). In the Garden. ca 1888-89

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Lady in Flower Garden. ca 1891

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935) Celia's Thaxter's Garden 1892
Childe Hassam (1859-1935) Geraniums
Childe Hassam (1859-1935) In the Park, Paris

Childe Hassam (1859-1935) Listening to the Orchard Oriole
Childe Hassam (1859-1935) Spring the Artist's Sister

Childe Hassam (1859-1935) The Garden Door
Childe Hassam (1859-1935) The Fisherman's Cottage

Childe Hassam (1859-1935) Mrs Hassam in the Garden 1888

Childe Hassam (1859-1935) Mrs Hassam at Villiers le Bel
Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Portrait of Edith Blaney with Garden behind Her, 1894. She is reading Celia Thaxter's An Island Garden, illustrated by Hassam, published in 1894.

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Garden 

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). An Outdoor Portrait of Miss Weir, 1909 

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). The Sea 

19C Women & Gardens - American John Singer Sargent 1856-1925

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) Florence Fountain Boboli Gardens

John Singer Sargent was not actually brought up in America. Sargent was born in Florence, Italy, and spent his childhood & adolescence touring Europe with his American parents who had decided on a nomadic lifestyle abroad in pursuit of culture rather than a more secure existence back home.

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) Villa di Marllia Lucca
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)Villa di Marlia Fountain
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) The Garden Wall

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)Villa Torlonia Frascati
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) Garden in Corfu
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)Villa Torre Galli The Loggia
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) On the Garden Veranda at Ironbound Island, Maine.

Geo Washington's (1732-1799) Gardeners at Mount Vernon

Gardeners at Mount Vernon

by Charlotte Doney, George Washington University

Digital Encyclopedia

Fred W. Smith National Library for the 

Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon

George Washington cared deeply about the appearance of his gardens, in both style & type of flora, & closely supervised the planting process at Mount Vernon. He demonstrated his love of the United States through the types of native flora that he planted on his estate. After Washington retired, first from war & then from politics, he fulfilled the image of a gentleman planter, using Mount Vernon as his own personal statement of independence & republican simplicity.

Washington loved his gardens & was constantly changing the plants used at Mount Vernon. There is little evidence to suggest, however, that he was the one gardening. There were many gardeners who worked at Mount Vernon, several of whom were indentured servants. For example, letters written from Washington to his estate manager, Lund Washington, & to John Washington, an acquaintance from King George City, Virginia, reveal that Philip Bateman served as the primary gardener at Mount Vernon between 1773 & 1785...

George Washington purchased Bateman as an indentured servant for £35 in 1773, but continued to employ his services long after the term of indenture had ended... Records indicate that an individual with the last name Bateman was still at the Mount Vernon Estate until 1787, although there is no record to confirm that it was the same Bateman. On March 20, 1773, George Washington wrote to thank John Washington for finding him a promising gardener.3 Evidence in Washington's diaries suggests that Bateman stayed at least until December 1785, around the same time Lund Washington was preparing to end his tenure as the estate manager of Mount Vernon... There is a possibility that Bateman stayed at Mount Vernon longer, perhaps under the name Philip Bater, who on April 23, 1787, agreed to continue to work at Mount Vernon for at least one more year...

Very little is known about Bateman aside from the fact that he was the gardener at Mount Vernon from 1773 to at least 1785. Although Lund Washington appreciated Bateman's talents, he did not think highly of the gardener's intellect. In October 1783, Lund Washington wrote to George Washington: "As to Bateman (the Old Gardener) I have no expectation of his ever seeking Another home—indulge him in getg Drunk now & then, & he will be happy—he is the best kitchen Gardener to be met with..."  Bateman was clearly loyal to the Washingtons & to Mount Vernon, but from the very few letters & records that mention his name it is difficult to ascertain his fate after he ended his work at Mount Vernon.

After Bateman's departure from Mount Vernon, George Washington hired a German gardener named Johann (John) Christian Ehlers who worked on the estate from 1789 to 1797. Although Washington employed Ehlers for nearly ten years, he was constantly troubled by Ehler's work ethic & drinking habits. In 1792, Washington warned his estate manager at the time, Anthony Whiting, about Ehlers: "It is my desire also that Mr. Butler will pay some attention to the conduct of the Gardener & the hands who are at work with him; so far as to see that they are not idle; for, though I will not charge them with idleness, I cannot forbear saying . . . that the matters entrusted to him appear to me to progress amazingly slow..."

Ehlers evidently did not reform his behavior. In December 1793, Washington scolded the gardener, writing, "I shall not close this letter without exhorting you to refrain from spiritous liquors—they will prove your ruin if you do not … Don’t let this be your case. Shew yourself more of a man, & a Christian, than to yield to so intolerable a vice; which cannot, I am certain (to the greatest lover of liquor) give more pleasure to sip in the poison (for it is no better) than the consequences of it in bad behaviour at the moment, & the more serious evils produced by it afterwards, must give pain..." Washington ultimately parted ways with Ehlers in 1797.

While Ehlers was still employed by Washington, another gardener named John Gottleib Richler also worked at Mount Vernon. Richler was a German servant indentured for three years in return for Washington paying for his passage from Germany to the United States...  Otherwise not much is known about Richler [not Ehlers], who presumably left Mount Vernon after his term of indenture ended.

There were many other gardeners who worked at Mount Vernon, but their personal information is scarce. Two of these gardeners were David Cowan & William Spence. David Cowan worked for Washington for a little over a year between 1773 & 1774. William Spence was hired to work at Mount Vernon as a gardener in 1797, & stayed on after Washington's death in 1799.

There is no evidence that George Washington did any physical gardening himself at Mount Vernon, but his influence on activities was still apparent. His designs determined what plants were included & how the gardens appeared. Washington was directly involved in the development & redesigning of the gardens around the mansion, especially during his two separate retirements between 1784 & 1789 & from 1779 to 1799...

Washington contributed to the look of several natural spaces at Mount Vernon, including, the vista approaching the house, the Bowling Green, & the upper & lower walled gardens. For each garden area, Washington specified the types of plants & features that he wanted. In the Bowling Green, for example, Washington had the area shaped perfectly flat, using rollers to compress the earth & planted with velvety English grass to create a lush setting.

Surrounding the Bowling Green, Washington chose shrubs & trees planted around the walkways to reflect his design aesthetic. Washington desired to have native North American plant species in his gardens to represent the splendor of flora found in the United States. In his letters, Washington wrote that he wanted "philadelphus coronarius, as sweet flowering shrub (called mock Orange)," "Pinus Strobus," "Prunis Divaricata," "Hydrangia arborescens," & "Laurus nobilis..."  Washington exercised similar influence over each of Mount Vernon’s gardens.

Research plus images & much more are available from Geo Washington's (1732-1799) home Mount Vernon website, MountVernon.org.