The papers of Francis P. Conant document his anthropological work and, to a lesser extent, his previous career as a journalist and photographer. Francis Paine Conant was a cultural anthropologist who pioneered the use of satellite data in anthropology. He conducted fieldwork in Nigeria and Kenya, and his research interests spanned cultural ecology, AIDS, malaria, and sex and gender studies. He was also Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Hunter College, where he taught from 1962 to 1995.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Francis P. Conant document his anthropological work and, to a lesser extent, his previous career as a journalist and photographer. The bulk of the collection consists of his field work in Africa, specifically his doctoral research among the Barawa in Nigeria during the 1950s; his work among the Pokot in Kenya for Walter Goldschimdt's Culture and Ecology in East Africa Project during the 1960s; and his later research among the Pokot during the 1970s incorporating remote sensing tools. These materials include his dissertation, field notes, kinship charts, maps, correspondence, photographs, and sound recordings. The collection also contains photographs, correspondence, and writings relating to the Bernheim-Conant expedition through Africa. Among the photos are Polaroids of Mohammad Naguib, first president of Egypt. Also present in the collection are his published and unpublished academic writings, his writings and correspondence as a news correspondent in Finland, and files from courses that he taught. In addition, the collection contains some of Conant's digital files, which have not yet been examined. Overall there is little correspondence in the collection, aside from some letters scattered throughout the collection relating to his research and writings (both as an academic and a journalist).
Arrangement:
Collection is organized into 9 series: 1) Nigeria, 1956-1960, undated; 2) Kenya, 1961-1974, undated; 3) Remote Sensing, 1967, 1971, 1976-1984, 1991-1992, 2002; 4) Bernheim-Conant Expedition, 1953-1956; 5) Writings, 1960-1966, 1974-1995, 2000-2006, undated; 6) University Files, 1956-1957, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1982-1995, undated; 7) Biographical Files and Letters, circa 1940, CIRCA 1946-1947, 1951, 1955, 1979, 1989-1991, 1996-2000, 2007-2011, undated; 8) Sound Recordings, 1956-1965, 1971, 1977-1978, undated; 9) Digital Files
Biographical / Historical:
Francis Paine Conant was a cultural anthropologist who pioneered the use of satellite data in anthropology. He conducted fieldwork in Nigeria and Kenya, and his research interests spanned cultural ecology, AIDS, malaria, and sex and gender studies. He was also Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Hunter College, where he taught from 1962 to 1995.
Conant was born on February 27, 1926 in New York City. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy, he deferred college to enlist in the U.S. Army in 1944. He served as a field artillery observer for the 294th Field Artillery Battalion and helped liberate two concentration camps during World War II. After he was honorably discharged in 1946, he attended Cornell University, where he obtained his B.A. in 1950. While at Cornell, a Finnish student invited Conant to Finland to help relocate families, farms, and livestock further from the Russian border, a protective measure against another Russian invasion. Conant accepted his invitation and took time off from his academic studies to spend several months in Finland in 1947, as well as a summer in 1949.
After graduating from Cornell, Conant attended University of Iowa's graduate writing program for a short time. Dissatisfied with the program, he worked briefly for the Carnegie Endowment, during which time he occasionally served as a personal driver for Alger Hiss. In 1951, he returned to Finland to pursue a career in journalism. He worked for United Press International until 1953.
From December 5, 1953 to May 26, 1954, Conant traveled throughout Africa as part of the Bernheim-Conant Expedition for the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). The expedition was led by Claude Bernheim, the father of his first wife, Miriam. They traveled 16,000 miles through Northern Central and Eastern Africa, collecting film footage and material culture for the museum. Conant served as the writer and photographer for the expedition, publishing illustrated articles in the New York Times and Natural History Magazine.
He later returned to Africa as a doctoral student at Columbia University, where he earned his PhD in Anthropology in 1960. After studying the Hausa language at the International African Institute in London, he traveled to Nigeria as a Fellow of the Ford Foundation to carry out his fieldwork in Dass Independent District, Bauchi Province. Working among the Barawa that live in the mountains of Dass, he focused on their religion and its impact on the technology, social and political organization, and structure of their society. His dissertation was titled "Dodo of Dass: A Study of a Pagan Religion of Northern Nigeria." During his fieldwork, he also collected data on rock gongs, which were first identified and written about by Bernard Fagg in 1955.
In 1961 to 1962, Conant was a research associate for Walter Goldschmidt's Culture and Ecology in East Africa Project. The purpose of the project was to conduct a controlled comparison of four different East African societies and the farmers and pastoralists within each tribe. Conant was assigned to conduct ethnographic research among the Pokot in West Pokot District in Kenya. This research would form the basis of his remote sensing work in the same area more than a decade later.
Conant was first introduced to remote sensing data in 1974 when his colleague Priscilla Reining showed him Landsat imagery of one his former fieldwork sites. He was inspired by the potential applications of satellite data to study cultural and ecological relationships. In 1975, he and Reining organized a workshop on "Satellite Potentials for Anthropological Studies of Subsistence Activities and Population Change." He incorporated remote sensing tools in his 1977 to 1980 study of the changing cultivation patterns and management of livestock in West Pokot District. His research combined traditional fieldwork (which included data he had collected in the 1960s), LANDSAT data, and geospatial data collected from the ground.
Later in his career, Conant's research interests expanded to include the spread of diseases, specifically AIDS and malaria. He, along with Priscilla Reining, John Bongaarts, and Peter Way found that uncircumcised men were 86% more likely to contract HIV than circumcised men. Their findings were published in their paper "The Relationship Between Male Circumcision and HIV Infection in African Populations" (1989). His research on malaria focused on the spread of the disease during African prehistory.
Conant taught briefly at Columbia University and was an Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts, at Amherst in 1960-1961. Most of his academic career was spent at Hunter College, where he served as Chair of the Anthropology Department several times. He also founded and headed the college's Research Institute in Aruba.
Conant was a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University's Pitts Rivers Museum in 1968-1969. He was also a fellow of the American Anthropological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International African Institute, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Anthropological Institute. In addition, he was actively involved with the Human Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Journal.
Conant died at the age of 84 on January 29, 2011.
Sources Consulted
Bates, Daniel G. 2011. Francis P. Conant: A Tribute to a Friend of Human Ecology. Human Ecology 39(2): 115.
Bates, Daniel and Oliver Conant. Francis P. Conant. Anthropology News. 52(5): 25.
Conant, Veronika. Email message to Lorain Wang, October 22, 2013.
[Curriculum Vitae], Series 7. Biographical Files and Letters, Francis Conant Papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Francis P. Conant. http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/anthropology/faculty-staff/in-remembrance/francis-p.-conant [accessed August 23, 2013].
1926 -- Born February 27 in New York City, New York
1944-1946 -- Enlists in Army and serves in World War II as a flash ranger in 294th Field Artillery Battalion
1950 -- Earns B.A. from Cornell University in English and Russian, minor in Engineering
1953-1954 -- AMNH Bernheim-Conant Expedition to northern Africa
1957 -- Conducts language studies at the International African Institute
1957-1959 -- Conducts fieldwork in northern Nigeria
1960 -- Earns PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University
1960-1961 -- Assistant Professor, Anthropology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
1961-1962 -- Research Associate for Culture and Ecology in East Africa Project directed by Walter Goldschimdt
1962 -- Joins faculty at Hunter College
1968-1969 -- Fulbright Senior Research Fellow, Oxford University, Pitt-Rivers Museum
1977-1980 -- Sets up remote sensing monitoring area in West Pokot district in Kenya. Studies changing cultivation patterns and management of livestock
1995 -- Retires from Hunter College; Emeritus Professor
2011 -- Dies on January 29 at the age of 84
Related Materials:
For additional materials at the National Anthropological Archives relating to Francis Conant, see the papers of Priscilla Reining and John Lawrence Angel.
His film collection is at the Human Studies Film Archives.
Artifacts and film collected during the Bernheim-Conant Expedition, his doctoral research in Nigeria, and his fieldwork in Kenya during the 1960s and 70s are at the American Museum of Natural History. He also deposited collections at the Pitts River Museum at the University of Oxford.
Provenance:
These papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Francis Conant's widow Veronika Conant in 2012.
Restrictions:
The Francis P. Conant Papers are open for research. Access to the Francis P. Conant Papers requires an appointment.
Francis P. Conant Papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The papers of Francis P. Conant were processed with the assistance of a Wenner-Gren Foundation Historical Archives Program grant awarded to Veronika Conant. Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- Oyster Bay -- Brookville
Date:
1937 Apr.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- Oyster Bay -- Brookville
Date:
2002 Jan.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- Oyster Bay -- Brookville
Date:
2002 May.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- North Hempstead -- Great Neck
Date:
[1930?]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- North Hempstead -- Great Neck
Date:
[1930?]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
1 Photographic print (black-and-white, 7 1/8 x 9 1/8 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Place:
Crocker Garden (Laurel Hollow, New York)
United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- Oyster Bay -- Syosset
Date:
[between 1960 and 1975]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
1 Photographic print (black-and-white, 7 7/16 x 8 7/8 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Place:
Crocker Garden (Laurel Hollow, New York)
United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- Oyster Bay -- Syosset
Date:
[between 1960 and 1975]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- Oyster Bay -- Syosset
Date:
[between 1960 and 1975]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Apple Trees (Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts)
United States of America -- Massachusetts -- Essex County -- Manchester
Scope and Contents:
The folders include a work sheet, site plans, sample plant list, and copies of articles.
General:
The layout of the original estate is primarily intact, with several new garden areas added by the current owners. The original sunken formal garden from the early twentieth century was re designed and simplified in the mid-1980s; and renovated again in the 1990s. Newer garden gardens (ca. 1998-2004) include a cottage garden, a parterre rose garden, a shady shed garden, and a kitchen garden. The property includes original old specimen trees and shrubs--most at least 75 years old. .
Persons and organizations associated with the property include: Gerard Bement (former owner, 1896-1903); Stephen Van Rensselaer and Henrietta Grew Crosby (former owners, 1903-1957); Mr. and Mrs. George Carr (former owners, 1957-1963); Mrs. and Mrs. Parsons (former owners, 1963-1968); Dr. Richard Head (former owner, 1968-1972); Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kaloost (former owners (1972-1980); Morrison & Rockley (builders, 1896); Ernest W. Bowditch (landscape architect, ca. 1910); Bruno Toss (head gardener, ca. 1925-1958); and Louise Jewett (garden designer, ca. 1985).
Related Materials:
Apple Trees related holdings consist of 2 folders (13 35 mm. slides)
See others in:
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Beacon Hill (Newport, Rhode Island)
United States of America -- Rhode Island -- Newport County -- Newport
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes correspondence, articles and information sheet compiled by GCA representative.
General:
"There is an austere elegance about a green garden; pink or yellow or red are frivolous except as accents, but the garden that appeals to the romantic, universal soul is the blue garden. That is why the Blue Garden of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Curtiss James was the ultimate goal of so many Newport Pilgrims. A very stately garden it is with the iridescent quality which blue flowers that really are mauve and purple and grayish, rather than true, sharp blue, impart. Its irregular symmetry makes it difficult to describe without a ground plan. At the two far distant ends are colonnades with gray rocks and irregular green plantations beyond, and the lower end is a circle of matchless turf whose boundary is rock and shrubs. The upper part is a circle, too, formed by a rustic lattice of slender split branches over which grow Clematis Jackmanii, mauve Sweet-peas and other charming creepers, backed by Cedars and Pines. In the center are two pools fed by water that trickles from beneath the colonnade."
"A thousand foot rose garden was blasted out of granite rock. A long grass allee originated by the reflecting pool, was planted with 5,000 roses of many varieties. The allee ascended several levels of stone walls and steps and climaxed under a high granite cliff, where a splendid stone and ironwork balustrade and imposing pergola were located. Mr. James died in 1942, all the roses were dug and sold and nature moved in to sow her seeds."
"The Beacon Hill house was left unoccupied and in 1967 finally succumbed to vandalism and fire." The gardens have been restored by subsequent owners.
Persons associated with the property include: Arthur Curtiss James (former owner, 1909-1940); Olmsted Brothers (landscape architects); John Greatorex (superintendent of grounds and landscape gardener); Harriet R. Foote (garden designer and rosarian); Peckham Brothers (contractors for rose garden); Hempstead of Boston (landscape contractors/superintendent); Edward Van Altena (lantern slide maker).
Related Materials:
Beacon Hill, RI related holdings consist of 3 folders (5 hand colored glass lantern slides; 35 35mm slides (photographs); 5 8X10 glass plate negatives)
Records related to this site can be found at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Olmsted Job Number 03558, Arthur Curtiss James.
See others in:
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection, 1900-1966.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Stroud Garden (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Scope and Contents:
The folders include worksheets, plans, financial documents, correspondence, plant lists, copies and photocopies of articles featuring the garden, and other information.
General:
Noted landscape architect Rose Greely did the original design for this garden, while Perry Wheeler undertook extensive remodeling beginning in the early 1950s. A typical small Georgetown garden only 48 feet wide, its privacy was assured by a wisteria-topped brick wall, shade trees, and shrubs around its borders. The plan divided the area into several distinct sections, including a shade terrace, living terrace, lawn, lawn terrace, and even a small circular formal vegetable and herb garden. A fountain adjacent to the living terrace provided white noise to mask the sounds of the urban setting. The Wheeler portion of the series includes not only visual images but plans, financial records, and other documentation. Greely's architectural drawings and papers are housed in Special Collections at the University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Persons associated with the garden include Rose Greely (landscape architect, circa 1920-1940); Perry H. Wheeler (landscape architect, circa 1951-1964); Dr. Franklin L. Stroud (former owner, 1976-2008); Paul B. and Laura T. Magnuson (former owners, 1946-1974); Frances Shoemaker (former owner); and Fred W. Jones (former owner).
Related Materials:
Stroud Garden related holdings consist of 3 folders (26 slides (photographs); 1 photographic print; 104 safety film negatives)
See others in:
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Extent:
1 slides (photographs) (col., 35 mm.)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
Les Ormes (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Date:
[between 1955 and 1960]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Extent:
1 slides (photographs) (col., 35 mm.)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
Les Ormes (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Date:
[between 1955 and 1960]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Extent:
1 slides (photographs) (col., 35 mm.)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
Les Ormes (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Date:
[between 1955 and 1960]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Extent:
1 slides (photographs) (col., 35 mm.)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
Les Ormes (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Date:
[between 1955 and 1960]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Extent:
1 slides (photographs) (col., 35 mm.)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
Les Ormes (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Date:
[between 1955 and 1960]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
McGuire Garden (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Scope and Contents:
The folders include worksheets, landscape designs, nursery invoices with plant names, correspondence, and other information.
General:
Located in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, the McGuire Garden was designed by Perry Wheeler in 1957 and was fully established by the time he photographed it in the spring of 1959. Its large flagstone, cast stone, and Belgian paver terrace was especially striking when viewed from above, highlighting its interlocking circle and semi-circle pattern. A central fountain provided a focal point, while the perimeter of the space featured a variety of trees and shrubs including osmanthus, boxwood, azalea, holly, and magnolia. Small beds were planted with bulbs for the spring and presumably featured changing seasonal splashes of color. Ample seating for outdoor entertaining was also provided. A 1965 letter from Mrs. McGuire to Wheeler regarding a bulb purchase shows that Wheeler maintained an ongoing relationship with this client.
Persons associated with the garden include Perry H. Wheeler (landscape architect, 1957-1965) and Mr. and Mrs. E. Perkins McGuire (former owners, ca. 1957-1965).
Related Materials:
McGuire Garden related holdings consist of 2 folders (11 slides (photographs); 2 film transparencies)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Phillips Garden (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Scope and Contents:
The folders include worksheets, copies of magazine and newspaper articles featuring the garden, and other information.
General:
The Georgetown garden of Admiral Neill Phillips and his wife Grace Hendrick Phillips (for whom a boxwood cultivar was named) was designed by Perry Wheeler in 1952, with construction and installation moving forward in that year. By April 1953 the garden was featured on the annual Georgetown Garden Tour. Wheeler's design for the small space included a brick wall for privacy, brick paving of most of the garden area, and an unusually shaped pool with twin fountain spouts and a striking sculpture. A variety of shrubs and small trees lined the perimeter, with emphasis on boxwood. Seating was provided throughout the garden. Duplicates of many of the images, the originals of which are in the Perry Wheeler Collection, may be found in the Garden Club of America Collection. The prints originated with Condé Nast Publications and appear to have been associated with a magazine article about the garden.
Persons associated with the garden include Perry H. Wheeler (landscape architect, 1952-1953) and Admiral Neill Phillips and Grace Hendrick Phillips (former owners, 1951-1966).
Related Materials:
Phillips Garden related holdings consist of 3 folders (28 slides (photographs); 1 film transparency; 7 photographic prints; 7 plans)
See others in:
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Herter Garden (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Scope and Contents:
The folders include worksheets, copies of magazine and newspaper articles featuring the garden, orders and invoices, correspondence, and other information.
General:
The Georgetown garden of Christian A. Herter and Mary Caroline Pratt Herter involved Perry Wheeler for a period of about 10 years. Wheeler's association began in 1954, when he provided additions to an original plan (with plant names) by Cary Millholland Parker, and lasted until at least 1964, when he created a new design for the garden's pool. Typical of Georgetown gardens, the Herter Garden occupied a relatively small space behind its Federal period house, situated cheek by jowl with its neighbors. Privacy was provided by brick walls, a bamboo fence, and shrub and tree plantings. A wide brick walkway led to a small ornamental pool at the back of the garden, while smaller brick walkways provided additional circulation. Azaleas, magnolia, boxwood, spring bulbs, and other plantings amply filled the garden space, while seating was provided on a terrace area near the pool.
Persons associated with the garden include Perry H. Wheeler (landscape architect, 1954-1964) and Christian Archibald and Mary Caroline Pratt Herter (former owners, 1943-1980).
Related Materials:
Herter Garden related holdings consist of 3 folders (30 slides (photographs); 2 photographic prints; 1 safety film negative; 10 plans; 3 drawings; 1 blueprint)
See others in:
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
