The Gilded Age, a transition time from the late 19th century to the beginnings of the 20th century, witnessed rapid growth in American industry and finance, and an increase of great wealth in a select few privileged families. There was, for this brief time, no universal income tax as we know it today.
Emigration from middle and Eastern Europe to the United States was widespread. This flood of new arrivals led to far-reaching consequences in metropolitan areas like Boston and New York. Bit by bit, trend and fashion, partly influenced by changes in cities, dictated summer homes or cottages out of urban heat and congestion.
Travel out of the U.S., although never out of vogue for the very wealthy, developed into routine practice because of more available wealth. The resulting proliferation and design of European and Asian garden components was as much a status symbol as a visual souvenir of these travels.
The role of professional landscape architects grew tremendously during this period. Many practitioners moved from designing rural cemeteries and park-lands to planning landscape gardens for wealthy property owners. The profession expanded as landscape architects worked together on projects and mentored beginning professionals. Landscape architects wrote specialized and important books about landscape gardening and design.
Some New England garden landscapes that illustrate different motivations and approaches to landscape design during this Gilded Age:
Saint-Gaudens' formal terraced garden abounds with early 20th century plants and gilded casts of ancient sculptures. This setting is probably similar to the kind that Saint-Gaudens saw in his European travels. The cutting garden offers a wide variety of flowers grown for the elegant floral arrangements found in the galleries. National Park Service. Location • 139 Saint-Gaudens Road • Cornish, NH 03745 • (603) 675-2175.
Trustees of the Reservation Property. Naumkeg Location • Prospect Hill • Stockbridge, MA • 413)298-3239. Trustees Headquarters • 54 South Main Street (Rte. 1A) • Ipswich, MA 01938 • (978) 356-2811.
French's studio gardens are divided into a series of large rooms with perennial borders, a central fountain, and a woodland walk. An annual Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood Exhibit (June 22-October 8, 2007) utilizes a small portion of Chesterwood's 122 acre estate. The Trust for Historic Preservation. Location • 4 Williamsville Road • Stockbridge, MA 01262 • 413-298-3579.
The gardens are perpendicular to the house and include:
The Mount Centennial in 2002 witnessed reconstruction of these gardens, abandoned and overgrown for many decades. In June 2005, planting nearly 3,000 annuals and perennials put the finishing touches to the flower garden that Edith Wharton called her "mass of bloom.” Lenoxion • 2 Plunkett Street • Lenox, Massachusetts 01240-0974 • (413) 637-1899.
Text by Georgene A. Bramlage, May 2007. Reproduction without permission prohibited.