Cover of Book: Killenworth, George D. Pratt House, Long Island, circa 1918. Swimming Pool.
Gardens for a Beautiful America, 1895-1935, illustrated with over 250 colored images of American and European gardens, is the story of Frances Benjamin Johnston—celebrity photographer of the Country House Era. With lively detail, author Sam Watters recounts the stories of new and classic gardens that inspired Johnston, house owners, and designers after 1900.
“Rarely does a book appear that feels like a revelation. The Acanthus Press’ recent Gardens for a Beautiful America is just such a book, however…Today, anyone interested in the history of gardens owes Mr. Watters a huge debt of gratitude as he painstakingly identified the slides and presents 250 of them in this ravishing book, giving us miniature portraits of gardens in both America and Europe.” —Jane Garmey, 1stDibs.
The Elms, Edward J. Berwind House, Newport, 1914. Fountain Alley.
Weld, Larz Anderson House, Massachusetts, circa 1914. Temple at Water Garden.
Thornedale, Oakleigh Thorne House, New York, 1919. Canal.
Cragston, J.P. Morgan House, New York, 1913. Spring Bulbs.
Turtle Bay Gardens, Charlotte H. Sorchan House, New York City, 1920. Terrace.
Black Point, Colonel Henry H. Rogers Jr. House, Long Island, circa 1916. Children’s Garden.
Glenn-Orr, William M. Orr House, California, 1923. The Secret Garden.
Uplands, Charles T. Crocker House, California, 1917. Porte Cochere.
Chatham, Colonel Daniel B. Devore House, Virginia, Boxwood Garden.
Samuel H. Taft House, Ohio, 1922. Driveway.
Villa I Tatti, Bernard Berenson House, Italy, 1925. Terraced Garden.
Pavillon Colombe, Edith J. Wharton House, France, 1925. Terrace.
All photos courtesy of Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress.