Up early this morning, and therefore i had a lot of time to walk around. So being inw york, washington is a tremendous pleasure. The fountains were going and the trees were just getting that wonderful spring green. I really thought this is americas versailles. You know . This is our place. That louisrred to me the 14th probably thought it was a really good big deal. What we are talking about is really a very big deal. Designing gardens for the president ial house. Speak, butcoming to it really came into amazing context for me. I was just kind of Walking Around and seeing it. When i was first called to moderate this panel, i said since i am a garden journalist, i said i have never talked about any garden that i have not seen. And i had no concept of what the east wing look like. Years ago i wrote about rose garden and he called me one day and said can you come right down and see it. It was guarded very carefully and i never got to see anything else. I said i would be happy to do ways i had toome have a tour. I dont know if anyone in this room has done it, but the south lawn gardens are open twice a year. Down and iti came was a magnificent occasion. A brochure, everything. I really recommend to everybody in the fall to go in october and see them. But what was great is about the crowds and the children, and the marine band. The red jackets up on the portico. I dont know how many of you symphoniesgreat where he has all the americana and it. In it. It was really an american day. Our versailles is really america and it made me very happy to be part of this and to think i would be somehow contribute in to the idea of the president ial gardens. So, i got to see it. The story about Teddy Roosevelts when he came to the white house, the white house had all the offices in it at that time. The president lived there, it was a small family. He had six children and everyone had to have his or her own bedroom. Thethey had to build executive Office Building so that they could all have their own bedrooms. And that was when Charles Mckinnon came in to build the west wing with the oval office. And of course you know in the colonnade connecting the white house, the president still has to go outside every day to go to his office. There is no way through the house to do it. And at that time he also built the east wing, which as you can see here in this wonderful postcard from 1930, the east wing is a right angle because it porticon official entrance to the white house. The east garden that we are going to be talking about is embraced, as it were, by the east wing. And if you go in october you can see that. Actually wanted the idea of having wings. And evidently when they were building these, they did find foundations that had been started. He would have seen them more as utility wings, like for the washing or the horses or something of this kind. But he was really in this in love with this idea of eventually making the white house like a 16thcentury italian villa, with its extended wings on either side. Built,n it was finally Theodore Roosevelt said to him that it was like having the great saucers for the teacup of the white house. A wonderful, wonderful image that he made of it. So i got to walk around all of this. Then i found this marvelous plan. We are going to hear in detail about the garden, but i would like you to look. This plan is from 1943. You see the pool appear. Saonder what Beatrix Farrand w when she came to do this garden. This is her garden and this is the portico, the southern portico of the white house. See in this one photograph her tremendous genius. She positioned her pool, which is a reflecting pool, so that it took the full profile of the south portico. To me, that just says everything about her. To make it so that you could bring, as it were, the architecture of the white house right into her garden. So, with no further ado we will have judith bring us the whole story of the creation of this garden for the wilsons. [applause] can everybody hear me . Great. I dont know about the whole story, but i only have 12 minutes to tell the story. [laughter] jonessubject is beatrix early project before she landed this commission for the white house in 1913. This lovely portrait of her was taken around 1900. It really captures her confidence as a young woman in her career as a landscape gardener, which is what she called herself. In the early 1890s when she decided to become a landscape partner, she was blazing a new trail. Although she was not the first woman to take up the profession, she was actually the first to make it an unqualified success thanks to her initial boost of clients from her social sphere were impressed by the drive and ambition of this woman. In the late 19th century, just a step backwards a bit, Career Opportunities for upperclass women were hampered by the stereotypes of women as guardians of the home and dabblers and professions normally reserved for men. Contacts that she then turn to, including the director of the arboretum in boston, who recognize their interest in plants who dated which dated back to him forshe studied with a very intensive year of learning about horticulture and soon she became an expert in botany and horticulture. But sergeant recommended that in order to complete her education, she needed to visit gardens in the u. S. And abroad to learn about design. Of the trips she took part of her learning experience was visiting brookline to learn about drafting and learn about presentation drawings and how to do bookkeeping and all of that. 1893 she visited the worlds columbian exhibition in chicago, which you can see in this beautiful photograph. She actually traveled with the sergeants family and with her mother. Ner notebooks indicated o notebook we found from earlier days which recorded some of her incredible thoughts. Indicated, Lessons Learned about what should and should not be done. Well, the beauxarts approach to design was essential to her education. I hope someday somebody writes a book about her mother. When i was doing research on Beatrix Farrand i kept thinking her mother was so much more interesting, although we do not have that much information. An essentials influence on her daughters education. In the 1890s, mary presided called,e, as she was presided over a salon in new york city, which you saw a clip of in the movie. This is where Beatrix Jones grew up, surrounded by the likes of henry james, Teddy Roosevelt, alsotus saint garden, and writers and thinkers that mary assembled at her house once a week. So, mary in the end was a significant role model for her daughter. I think this is what is so fascinating about her. She wrote articles on careers that were suitable for women. She wrote discriminant magazine. She founded the school of nursing and she worked as an editorial advisor. Sergeantswing advice to travel overseas to farrand, wedesign, will call her Beatrix Farrand, and her mother spent five months visiting gardens throughout italy, france, germany, and england. Armed with a came new book Italian Garden which was published in 1894, and here they visited dozens of gardens throughout italy, from the coast to the italian lakes. A villa, amongd other places. Her notes on her visit were spot on to the point. She said about the villa, which back then is not look as great as it does today, the grounds, with their small perspectives, poor statues, small waterworks, and general cheapness, look very pretentious. [laughter] she deemed another garden which shall remain nameless, not worth its stone. Right from the start she was an astute observer and critic. Hile other mentors inner in her circle included a garden editor, author of many books, and of course an authority on plants in england. Here i am showing two pictures of him. One on your left around the time beatrixs visit, and on the right, one of the last pictures of robinson in 1933 when Beatrix Farrand paid her very last visits to robinson. She is the woman obviously in the hat in the middle. One ofhe also robinsons most influential books among all the books he wrote was the wild garden. It was published in 1870. That important book extolled the beauty of native plants as opposed to all the exotics that were being imported from all over the world. She designed her most famous naturalistic garden, Dumbarton Oaks right here in washington dc. Gertrudeso visited gardens in 1895 on her trip. To put it in context, this was a year before the famous house was hert, and it was prior to having ridden any other books. Her first came out in 1899. Since her articles and photographs such as the one on the right were wellknown and inticultural circles, horticultural circles, i am assuming sergeant may have provided the introductions to both William Robinson and gertrude. Whether she actually met gertrude was highly contested. Greatly influenced by gertrudes artistic approach to planting, whether ornamental shrubs, as we saw in the last photograph, or group beautiful sweeps of perennials. This was restored about 10 years ago. She retained a lifelong devotion know,trude, as we all including rescuing her archives in 1948. Edith wasaunt another significant mentor who undoubtedly advised in 1895. Her own book, Italian Gardens, appeared 10 years later. But as a Young Landscape advised ineatrix 1901, fairly early on in her career, but not of course the famous gardens. As a Young Landscape gardener, proposal forher large formal Kitchen Garden in this. Modeled vaguely on it did not go forward but reflects beatrixs very serious study. She wrote several detailed gardens about it. In addition to all other things, she also was a garden historian. Watercolor renderings at the university of california collection include this romantic did. N for percy that she rosee left it shows the harbor, and on the right shows englishinspired arts into a garden in greenwich, connecticut. You saw a brief clip in the film, one of her largest and significant early commissions was one for her cousin, clement, in jenkintown, pennsylvania in 1901. Here she advised on a selection of an architect for a new house. We have a strongwilled woman who wants to control everything. She has laid out the grounds and she designed its a large formal garden, pretty much in the european tradition with long axial views, double flower gardens. Justrings such as these i showed to you where used display in the annual exhibitions of the Pennsylvania Academy of fine arts and also the Architectural League of new york. So, here we understand that she was reaching out beyond the world of gardening and looking to architects in order to promote her career. Aboutso wrote articles her impressionistic approach to garden design for scriveners magazine and other magazines at the time. This is her entry for what she called the ideal suburban house and garden in 1906, which i think was a contest. Shows her versatility as a designer looking for work. A rather maintenanceintensive garden, to say the least, but this is where she was around 1906. Then of course in 1912 she designed a garden enclosed by hedges and walls for her cousins once again in hyde park, new york, otherwise known as belfield. She would use this formula of enclosure and restrained planting next year at the white house. Untilom the mid1910s the late 1930s she was at the top of her profession. In addition to contacts in new york, newport, and philadelphia, who gave her a boost, she also had many connections in washington dc, beginning of course with Teddy Roosevelt. Bishop satterlee asked her advice on the grounds at the washington Natural National cathedral. While moses pine who was chairman of the Trustees Committee for Princeton University asked her advice about the princeton campus in 1912, which miraculously led to her incredible career as a university consultant, not only at princeton but also at yale, occidental college, caltech, and many other universities across the u. S. She was a consultant at princeton until 1943, so that was a very long time for her to do it. But during this time she battled with the architect as to the division of labor. He assumed that she was a horticulturist. She, however, new that she was a Landscape Architect and wanted to have a say about steps and paths. Referredn staff there to her as the bush woman. Because she was always there directing all the gardeners as to exactly how to install everything. Today this courtyard at princeton, as i said earlier, is now recently renamed the Beatrix Farrand courtyard. It was also around this time who she met Woodrow Wilson, was then president of princeton from 1902 until 1910. She was ay by 1913 frequent visitor to the white house. Wilsonsas through the that she met the scholar, maxa baron, who she max farrand who she married in december 1913 and they of course lived happily ever after. In twoerein two here wonderful pictures. On the right in their retirement home at reef point. And of course you notice, just theirharles office, house was filled with books. 1913, first ellen wilson asked beatrix to design a new private garden for president wilson to complement the west garden, which ellen had already recently updated. Scheme under the name Beatrix Jones for the southeast garden was sketched in august, 1913. As i said, it was signed Beatrix Jones. He watercolor renderings included a rectangular enclosure pool, 10x22 foot lily which you saw a picture of. This was very similar to a design she had proposed earlier for the Wilson Family at Prospect House in princeton. Unfortunately, as we know, the commission was put on hold as ellen wilson became ill and died in august, 1914. After Woodrow Wilsons marriage to edith boeing, the idea of the haden that farrand originally designed a slightly different scheme was proposed. This one, as you can tell, was signed Beatrix Farrand and prepared in january of 1916. I thought you might like to have an opportunity of looking at both of them. The changes are very subtle. We topped one comes from the university of california archives and the bottom one comes from the Woodrow Wilson house, with coffee stains or something on it. We dont know. A detailed planting plan from the university of california archives which is dated january 14, 1916, actually shows her restraint and planting for what would be an institutionaltype project. Box hedges, english iv that was edging the pool, door clocks which edged the borders. A carpet of forgetmenots and tulips. Three shes two and had pride of harlem. Simple, but honestly not a remarkable design. Definitely institutional design. Not a romantic, residential planting such as those as previous. On the right we have Francis Benjamin johnsons photo showing the garden as it was installed. And then as you have seen before in paulas talk, a picture of the completed gardens. And then the final picture, woodrow and edith in the east garden, taken by Francis Benjamin johnson in 1916. And the rest is history. [applause] ok. Hello, everyone. It is a pleasure to be here. Lets see. I hope you can hear me ok. I was asked to talk about the context of Beatrix Farrands design for the white house gardens. Will show you what the National Mall was like in the years before, during, and after she made her design in order to give you a sense of the capital city but also the state of american landscape in the period. This was a Pivotal Moment not only here, but nationally. And leading designers focused on washington which was emerging as a World Capital around the turn of the 20th century. I will set the scene of what the capital city looked like. And let me assure you it is nothing like what it is today. It was clear and gaudi and ordered. Many dont realize how it came to look like this way. Grand avenue, quote, to lead to the monuments of washington and connect the congress garden with the president s garden. Century,d of the 19th the city actually had been cleaned up quite a bit since the murder when their was bay between pennsylvania avenue long past when major slave markets were theved, now the site of air and space museum. On the right is now constitution avenue, and it had been a filthy, open sewer until 1871. These are two views from about 1900, giving you a sense of the scattered buildings and dense tree coverings on the mall. Was and what900 was called a gilded age of graft and glitter, but this is when the board of public works was andessful in paving roads installing utilities and planting trees. All critical elements towards the modernization of the city. When Frederick Olmsted senior was here working on his plans for capitol hill in the early 1870s, he praised the mall as a sylvan landscape. By then the mall was fragmented, made up evas many as 12 separate gardens and parks, each under the direction of independent congressional committees with different staffs and policies. And you will see across the middle, six street and the railroad had raid laid down extracts. This is where the National Gallery is today. In terms of public or monumental architecture on the mall, you can see protruding out from the trees the smithsonian castle, it was a1847 to 1855, red, sandstone building. The castle led the way for buildings that would define in style and material Building Activities for the next halfcentury. And i show you here at bureau of printing and engraving which was a red bri