United States of America -- Illinois -- Lake County -- Lake Forest
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, site plans, historical information about the house and garden, photocopies of articles about the property and garden, reference images, and other information.
General:
The Carton Garden is a two and one-half acre property on a one hundred year flood plain, west of the natural ridge that extends from Chicago to Wisconsin, tiled land that was a marshy area of the original prairie. A contemporary house by architect Roy Binkley was built in 1984, with design elements derived from Bauhaus and New England saltbox. Large Palladian windows provide solar gain in the winter, and the garden maintenance regime is based on Integrated Pest Management (I.P.M.) to reduce the use of chemicals. The current Carton Garden and house were created after the owners subdivided their original holding of six acres. Landscape architect Anthony Tyznik, FALSA, began working with the owners in 1955 and on this property in 1984, and continues to consult with the owner.
Tyznik designed a semi-circular brick terrace to connect the house to the meandering lawn, which connects to all other parts of the rectangular property. There is a kitchen garden room, planted in both flowers and herbs, and a woodland garden of mature white pines under planted with deciduous trees, shrubs, and ferns and hostas on the garden floor. A shady area is used as an outdoor reading room in summer with the sculpture SeeSaw by Nenne van Dijk nearby which is the focal point of the garden; a secret garden next to the house has a treasured wooden mushroom from the garden of the Prince of Wales; the swimming pool and pool house in the modern international style were designed by Chicago architect Arthur Myhrum in the 1960's. A wall next to the pool house is criss-crossed by espaliered pear trees, and beyond the pool house there is a tennis court. A potager in the style of the 17th century has a fountain surrounded by medicinal herbs and raised beds for growing summer vegetables.
Anthony Tyznik designed a pond for one corner of the property, which attracts wild fowl and bullfrogs. A dog cemetery has inscriptions from Shakespeare and Whittier on its stones. There is an orchard of fruit trees and a campfire with rustic furnishings under spruce trees. The design extends to all four corners of the property, all of which has been thoughtfully planned, planted and tended.
In addition to the Carton Garden, Anthony Tyznik has designed The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois and The King Residence in Burr Ridge, Illinois.
Persons and firms associated with the garden include Corson and Roberta Ellis (previous owners, 1928-1950); Roy Binkley (architect, 1984); Anthony Tyznik, FALSA (landscape architect, 1955-2009); Julie Siegel (landscape designer); Nenne van Dijk (sculptress, 1992); Arthur Myhrum (architect of pool and pool house, circa 1960).
Related Materials:
The Carton Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (19 digital images + reference photographs)
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.
The Head Papers, 1926-1991, consist of correspondence, calendars, notes, company records (Head Ski Company and Prince Manufacturing Inc.), drawings, sketches, advertisements, product information, photographs, and slides documenting the development and design of both the Head ski and Prince oversized tennis racket. The collection is arranged into eight series:
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into eight series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1926-1991
Series 2: Correspondence and Writings, 1943-1991
Series 3: Head Ski Company Records, 1943-1990
Series 4: Head Ski Company Reunion Materials, 1986
Series 5: Prince Manufacturing, Inc. Records, 1971-1991
Series 6: Historical Collection Materials, 1986-1991
Series 7: Posters, undated
Series 8; Audiovisual Materials, 1940s-1991
Biographical / Historical:
Howard Head was born July 31, 1914 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended William Penn Charter and graduated from Harvard in 1936 with a degree in engineering. From 1939 to1947, Head worked for Glenn L. Martin Company as a riveter and engineer. He left Martin and founded the Head Ski Company in Timonium, MD in 1948. The former aircraft engineer, developed, designed, manufactured, and marketed the first metal laminate skis in 1950 called the "Head Standard" which revolutionized the ski industry. These skis were made of two layers of aluminum bonded around a core of plywood at very high pressure; the outer layer was made of plastic. By 1952, Head introduced skis with edges made of tempered steel. His skis were lighter and faster than wood and earned the nickname "cheaters" by the industry. In 1969, Head introduced a fiberglass/metal ski, but this ski combined with a diversified product line of javelin and aluminum tennis rackets could not strengthen his company nor stop a takeover by AMF in 1970. In 1968, Head formed a tennis division of Head Sports Inc., to develop a metal tennis racket which he introduced at the U.S. Open in 1969. After Head sold his interests in Head Sports Inc., he became chairman of the board for Prince Manufacturing Inc., in 1971. He decided to enlarge the width and length of the traditional tennis racket, more than doubling its "sweet spot." He developed and patented a line of new aluminum rackets and introduced the "Prince Advantage" in 1976. The Prince racket company was sold to Cheesebrough Ponds in 1982. Head, who died in 1991, revolutionized both the ski and tennis industries.
Related Materials:
Artifacts donated to the National Museum of American History, Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) on May 19, 1997, include downhill skis, ski poles, ski boots, ski bindings, cross sections of downhill skis, competition medals, Prince tennis rackets, and racket covers.
Separated Materials:
Materials at the National Museum of American History
Artifacts were donated to the Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) on May 19, 1997,and include downhill skis, ski poles, ski boots, ski bindings, cross sections of downhill skis, competition medals, Prince tennis rackets, and racket covers.
Provenance:
This collection was donated to the National Museum of American History by Martha Head and The Howard and Martha Head Fund, Inc., May 19, 1997.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. No reference copies of audiovisual materials available at this time. Boxes 18 and 19 located off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Forman H. Craton Collection, 1902-1983, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Forman H. Craton Collection, 1902-1983, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.
