A M E R I C A’S
EDEN PROSPE CTUS
Newport Landscapes through the Ages
The Newport Tree Conservancy announces a new research and publication initiative In 1789, Jedidiah Morse described Newport and its environs as the “Eden of America” in the First Geography of the United States. Building on this legendary image of a centuries-old paradise, The Newport Arboretum’s new initiative is dedicated to producing a book entitled America’s Eden: Newport Landscapes through the Ages. The publication will establish Newport as a cultural landscape of national significance and raise awareness of the garden and horticultural legacy of the city just as The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island (1952) did for its landmark buildings. The comprehensive history from European settlement to the present day will be illustrated by a treasure trove of rare period maps, paintings and photographs by prominent artists, and drawings and sketches by leading designers. It will serve as a critical resource guide encompassing landscape architecture, fine art, tree and plant propagation, and the conservation of natural sites. A rich story of art, design and horticulture awaits readers among the gardens, gazebos and trees of Newport.
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ABOVE Frances Benjamin Johnston, Armsea Hall. Courtesy Library of Congress. Photo circa 1920. COVER PAGE IMAGE Weeping European beeches at Chateau-sur-Mer. Photographer: Nick Belong
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John R. Tschirch PROJEC T DIR E CTOR
John R. Tschirch, Architectural Historian and Honorary Member, Garden Club of America, is an award winning architectural historian whose thirty-year career in historic preservation has brought him across the globe to study and teach at cultural heritage sites and landscapes. He has presented at conferences such as UNESCO in Buenos Aires and Yale University’s Mellon Center in London, and his work has been featured in The Magazine Antiques, Journal of the New England Garden History Society, Conde Nast Traveler and The New York Times. During his tenure at the Preservation Society of Newport County from 1986 to 2013, John served as historic advisor and director of research for gardens and grounds at eleven sites. In 2013, he left the Preservation Society to pursue his interests in teaching, writing, photography and travel. Leading study tours for graduates of his design history and photography courses at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), John uses the gardens, open spaces and heritage landscapes of Italy, Croatia, Austria, Sweden, France and England as his outdoor classrooms.
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Why undertake this project?
‘America’s Eden’ serves three critical needs
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ESTABLISH A COMPREHENSIVE BENCHMARK
Newport’s landscapes, an extraordinary combination of art and nature, have never been subject to a comprehensive study. America’s Eden will be a first, a benchmark publication bringing the city’s landscape heritage to a broad audience through a treasure trove of paintings, photographs and rare garden documents.
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RAISE AWARENESS OF A CULTURAL HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
America’s Eden will establish the city as a cultural landscape of the highest caliber by featuring the work of legendary figures such as Frederick Law Olmsted and his sons. The book will also showcase the dramatic natural scenery of Newport as recorded by writers such as Henry James and renowned artists from John Frederick Kensett and John La Farge to the acclaimed photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston.
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SUPP ORT TH E H ISTOR IC PR E SE RVAT ION OF A N E NDANGE R E D L ANDS C A PE
Newport’s landscape heritage is fragile and under constant threat by neglect, development and demolition. America’s Eden will identify historic assets and provide key data on trees, gardens and parks. The book will be a vital reference guide for those engaged in landscape research and preservation planning. 6
George Bellows, Tennis at Newport (detail). Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876-1967), 1967. Oil on canvas, 1919.
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Outline of Chapters I . HISTORIC AL OVE RVIEW
From Eden to Eternity: A History of Newport Landscapes
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The Land: A Blessed Topography The Colonial Era: Early Settlement Patterns The Victorian Age: The Picturesque Landscape The Gilded Age: The Golden Age of Estate Gardens The 20th & 21st Centuries: Preserving the Past, Planning the Future
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Images of Eden: Newport Landscapes in Paintings, Illustrations & Photographs 1. Early Views: The Colonial Landscape 2. The Victorians 2. The 19th Century Luminists: John Frederick Kensett, Martin Johnson Head, Fitz Henry Lane, William Trost Richards and Childe Hassam 3. Photographers and Illustrators of the Victorian and Gilded Age: John P. Newell, William Stillman, Frances Benjamin Johnston and Edward Van Altena 4. The Modernists: The MONUMENTA 74 Exhibit and Modern art in the Newport Landscape
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I II. DESIG N
Great Landscapes and Their Creators 1. The Colonial Experiment: Plantations and Urban Gardens 2. The Picturesque Landscape: Private Gardens and Public Parks 3. Classical Gardens of the Gilded Age 4. Garden Architecture: Follies, Pavilions, Temples and Teahouses 5. The Working Garden: Gardeners and Greenhouses IV. HORTICULTUR E
Noble Trees and New Plantings 1. Living Legends: Newport’s Historic Trees 2. The Culture of Flowers: The American Beauty Rose and Other Newport Floral Stories 2. Horticulture, Hurricanes and the Evolution of Newport’s Urban Forest
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Project Format 300 pages, illustrated, hard cover. The book will also be available in soft cover and in electronic form. The content will feature a variety of media, including period maps, paintings and photographs. Each section will include an index which lists all archives holding historic documents pertaining to Newport’s landscapes.
Special Contributors The depth and breadth of America’s Eden will be enhanced through special contributions by scholars, artists and scientists who bring unique and respected viewpoints to this semi work. Michael Dirr, America’s foremost expert on heritage trees, and Adrian Bloom of the world-renowned Bressingham Gardens are among the first contributing authors engaged with this project.
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Frances Benjamin Johnston, Gardeners at Beacon Hill House. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Photo circa 1920.
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Project Budget The entire project cost of $300,000 encompasses the research, writing, design and publication of the book, America’s Eden: $ 150,000
RESEARCH AND WRITING • Writer, general editor • Stipends for research fellows • Stipends for contributing authors in garden history, trees and landscape painting
$ 150,000
DESIGN AND PUBLICATION • Stipend for two indexers, who will compile the important historic sources for Newport’s landscapes to be featured in each chapter • Stipends for two editorial reviewers • Layout and design, image use and image reproduction fees • Project administration
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Newport Hornbeam. Photographer: Nick Belong. 2017.
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Frances Benjamin Johnston. Hammersmith Farm. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Photograph, 1907.
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Categories of Support FOUNDERS CIRCLE
$50,000 and above PATRONS CIRCLE
$25,000 and above STEWARDS CIRCLE
$10,000 and above ARB ORETUM CIRCLE
$5,000 and above GARDEN CIRCLE
$1,000 and above TREE CIRCLE
$500 and above GREEN CIRCLE
Up to $500
The Newport Tree Conservancy is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization. Contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
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N E W P O R T T R E E C O N S E R VA N C Y PO Box 863 • Newport, RI 02840 • (401) 324-9204 trees@newporttreeconservancy.org