United States of America -- Connecticut -- Hartford -- Avon
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets and a bibliography.
General:
The house, a popular Better Homes and Garden plan known as the "Maple Forest House", was built in 1997 and the first landscaping was put in that year. The two and one-fifth acre property is on a steep slope with rocky soil and surrounded by deep woods, while the garden and koi pond are close to the house with additional features further out in the lawn. The owners feel they live in the woods and must accommodate wildlife in their style of living and gardening. The lawn has not been treated with pesticides for ten or more years so in addition to grasses, ferns and mosses there are wildflowers and common weeds, including violets, white clover, dayflower, ground ivy, dandelions, smart weed, chicory, fleabane and thistle. Sunflowers and milkweed are encouraged to self-seed and provide food for birds and butterflies. Other wildlife seen on the property includes bears, foxes, chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, possums, skunks, bobcats, hawks, eagles, turkeys and deer that have lyme-disease ticks. The owners grow a small vegetable garden in plastic pots on one of the decks but are able to grow herbs in a raised bed next to the house. Annual flowers are grown in clay pots and hanging baskets, out of reach for digging dogs. The original koi pond was enlarged in 2015, a massive stone slab was installed as a bridge, and net screens attached to saplings and a plastic heron at the pond's edge keep predators away from the fish.
The garden owner is a former Garden Club of America club president.
Persons associated with the garden include Robert P. Powell (garden and pond design, 1997); Aquascapes of Connecticut (koi pond re-design and installation, 2015); Dan Isakson (lawn care, 2011- ); Dexter Cheney (woodlands and woodlot management, 2005- ).
Related Materials:
The Howard Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (24 digital images; 4 photographic prints)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials 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. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
Series of sketches drawn from life by Florence Nupok, a full blood St Lawrence Island Eskimo woman. 93 sketches (numbers are listed on each drawing).
The woman's snowshirt is made of bright colored calico or similar material. The girl wears a dress under the snowshirt. However, from the fur collar around the neck we know that under the snowshirt she is wearing a reindeer fawnskin parka. When in the home the dresses made from store goods are not removed as were former clothes since it would take too long. Since it is customary to sit and lie on the floor many of the clothes are not always as clean as they might be. Only when members of the family retire in the evening or expect to be in the agra for a long time do they remove all their clothing. Usually the breech cloth is worn by school girls under bloomers which are similar to the kind used by modern white women but which are made from colorful material such as mattress ticking. These are worn showing below the dresses.
This series of sketches was made by Florence Nupok, a full blooded St Lawrence Island married Eskimo woman, aged about 19, during the winter of 1927-8 at her camp at N. East Cape. I purchased the sketches because they were drawn from life and because they show so nicely the usual every day life of the St Lawrence Island Eskimo. The sketches are worth the money expended for them and I doubt that an other set is in existence made by a native on the spot as these were. It is almost impossible for a white person to do any sketching in the houses or homes of these natives as they will not stand for it under any condition, unless one is fortunate enough to be taken into their tribe. I shall of course try to obtain photographs where ever possible. I shall ask Nupok again to continue this work for me, and I think she will. I trust that the idea meets with your approval. In a few years all St Lawrence Island Eskimos will live in frame houses -- five were built last year -- four this year (1928) and the old customs will go the long trail and be forgotten. Modern kitchen ranges, stoves, coal oil heaters, and so on are replacing the famous and serviceable seal oil lamps, enamel pans, dishes, the old driftwood bowls and platters; aluminum tea kettles are replacing the good old Russian "Samovars", etc. Clothing is about the only thing that they cling to and for a very good reason, which is that the white man's clothing is not yet good enough to keep out the terrible winter's cold and for that reason, I too, adopt the native clothes, the only kind which is good enough to keep one warm. I shall list the sketches by numbers and will give the remarks...
Biographical / Historical:
Made during the winter (1927-1928) at her camp at North East Cape.
Florence Nupok is now Florence Malewotkuk, according to Dorothy Ray, 1968.
