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To Henry Sargent Codman and John Charles Olmsted
| Dear Harry & John. | 29th April, 1892 |
I suppose that it will always appear inexplicable that we came to Paris and saw and did so little. We have been every day to some point of interest professionally & then I have been too tired to do anything else. I am just reminded by a newspaper ¶ that McMonies is here at work for us. We leave tomorrow morning & I shall not have called on him or on any of the officials, or any friend except André. It remains cold & my cough continuous, and I am not picking up as fast as I had hoped to. Don’t attach too much importance to what I said of Vilmorin. What little he said about the Exposition showed interest and ignorance & puzzlement and if I understood it was all consistent with our apprehension of the inability of those responsible to organize & carry out satisfactorily the Horticl department. It seems to me that you will need to help them as much as you can in a friendly & suggestive way without being intrusive.
A newspaper telegram this morning tells us that the manufacturers building was partly blown down yesterday; the result will be unfortunate delay & a loss of $15000. Taking the sum as an indication I don’t regard it yet as a very serious matter but am afraid it will add to your difficulties. The report of cold weather & delayed Spring I regard as favorable for our operations.
I have seen less here suggestive of better methods or of new ideas than I expected. I am disappointed in this respect. There is nothing attractive or good in what is now to be seen in the gardening of the Tuilleries. We should do better to disregard it entirely & trust to our own invention. The shrub
[517]planting is poor, confused, undesigned. Manning would do much better without special instructions. The summer planting—bedding &c. is not out yet, but I see no preparations that are promising or suggestive of good effect. The less we think of Paris examples, I am inclined to think the better will be our results. What I have said of Paris applies to Versailles & Chantilly. Chantilly was purely mechanical. No invention. The grass and trees & architecture alone were of interest—& this was great.
Affcty.
F.L.O.
Chantilly, as all other works of La Notré, here seemed to me grand design in outlines, not well carried out in foliage results & with considerable dreary vacancy. We have seen no L.A. in natural style of modern design. It is all designed bit by bit. Theatrically & without connection or breadth or unity.
Memorandum on Exposition Universelle and the Chateaux Loire
| Dear Harry Mr. Olmsted has just dictated to me the following. |
Blois, May 1st, 1892. |
“In regard to Chicago, André without any suggestion from me; made these observations.”
’In Paris at the Exposition, after our arrangements were well advanced, and all other provisions made, it became obvious that on the terraces and surrounding grounds, would be bare and unfinished appearance, and that the Exposition as a whole would suffer from it.
After consideration, it was decided that there was but one thing to do, and that was to bring large quantities of Palms from the south of France, which was accomplished successfully. Nothing else would have answered the purpose, or had the desired effect.’ “André said further,” ‘From what I know of your plans, you will find it, I predict, even more the case with you at Chicago. You may do something with the importation of fine well-grown hollies & similar trees, but that you will not find what you can do in that respect will be adequate. You will be obliged to do what we did, and to get Palms from the Mediterranean.’ “I said, we have thought of that and have concluded that we would need Palms & have made inquiries and are expecting to get Palms from California & Florida.” ‘He said, you will get Washingtonia from California I suppose.’ “I said, yes, we had thought of Washingtonia.” ‘He then finally said, I don’t think it will do, and that you have not in America such Palms as will do, you will have to get them from the Mediterranean.’
“My conclusion is, Do what we will, we shall not be able to adequately furnish our terraces with Palms, or with foliage in any form. We must make a profuse use of awnings & objects of Art on the terraces.”
“André also spoke favorably, and without suggestion from me, of having vases on the parapets of the terraces, to be filled with plants. I am still
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Palms lining the terrace of Palais des Beaux-Arts, L’Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1889
Tropical Palms in Tubs on pedestals along South Canal, looking toward Agriculture Building and the Intramural Railway Station, World’s Columbian Exposition
]inclined to think also, that we should continue to employ young willows, or other detached plants of pliant growth, in the form of great detached vases, or towers, of foliage. Our Exposition is only for the summer; the willow comes out early, holds its foliage later and can be had of good strong colors, and glossy texture. But the method of using it must be invented and experimented with this summer.
I am much impressed with what we have seen at Chantilly, Blois and Chambord, at the dreary effect of very large buildings, with large grounds, not generously garnished with foliage. All these chateaux that we have seen, looked at largely, appear dreary, incomplete, and forlorn, for want of adequate foliage furnishing. The Louvre and Versailles, much less so.
I particularly urge at Chicago, the getting in of covered ways, of bright colored stuff, with masts and “valences,” and any appropriate drapery. Also my convictions that I have constantly expressed, of the necessity of getting water-craft of various kinds to fill out the basins and lagoons, are strengthened by what I have seen. I hope measures for this will not be neglected.”
Mr. Olmsted seems well and is enjoying himself. The season {is} late both in England & France. After a week in Paris we are now on the way back to England, seeing some of these Chateaux & the Channel Islands. Hope all goes well.
P.C.