Speaker: Judith Tankard, landscape historian, preservation consultant and author
Judith Tankard will present about her book, Beatrix Farrand: Garden Artist, Landscape Architect which chronicles the life and work of one of the most important figures in American landscape architecture. Beatrix Farrand was the only female founder of the American Society of Landscape Architects and one of the most important landscape architects of the early twentieth century. The scope of her work and influence on the profession are widely acknowledged, and her gardens are being studied, rehabilitated and opened to the public.

Farrand—Edith Wharton’s niece—was born into a prominent New York family. She designed lavish gardens for the leaders of society, including the Harknesses, Rockefellers and Blisses. Ultimately, her portfolio extended to college and university campuses, including Princeton, Yale, and the University of Chicago, as well as prominent public gardens. Her best-known design is the landscape at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., originally a private residence with extensive grounds and now a research center for Harvard University. Deeply influenced by the English garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, Farrand was known for broad expanses of lawn with deep swaths of borders planted in a subtle palette of foliage and flowers. In her public work, she adapted this design strategy to create paths and plantings that define the character of the space and the circulation through it.

This afternoon at Wing Haven is made possible by a partnership between Wing Haven and the local chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.