Henry Winthrop Sargent
Encyclopedia
Henry Winthrop Sargent American
horticulturist and landscape gardener.
. Educated at the Boston Latin School
and at Harvard College
, where he was graduated in the class of 1830 with a creditable record, he first studied law in the Boston office of Samuel Hubbard but never practiced law. He next became a partner in the banking house of Gracie and Sargent, New York
agents of his uncle, Samuel Welles, a Paris
banker.
On January 10, 1839, he married Caroline Olmsted, daughter of Maria (Wyckoff) and Francis Olmsted of New York, who survived him. There were three children of this marriage, two of whom predeceased their father.
In 1841 Sargent retired and moved to "Wodenethe", an estate of about 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) on a plateau overlooking the Hudson River
just above Fishkill Landing (now Beacon
), New York, which soon became famous for its distant views and its vistas cut through the native forest to the Hudson and the mountains, and for its extensive plantation of coniferous
trees. In planning it, the owner was without doubt assisted and inspired by his friend and neighbor, Andrew Jackson Downing
, the foremost American landscape gardener of the day.
In 1847-49 he travelled with his family in Europe
and the Levant
, primarily to gather plants and to study the design of parks and country places. As a result he later published a comprehensive garden guide entitled Skeleton Tours (1870), which included the British Isles
, the Scandinavian Peninsula
, Russia
, Poland
, and Spain
. He was a frequent contributor to horticultural papers, especially to the Horticulturist, and in 1873 with Charles Downing
he wrote a supplement to Andrew Downing's Cottage Residences (1842).
His most important literary contribution is his supplement to the sixth (1859) and subsequent editions of Downing's A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening (1841). In this he gave an account of the newer deciduous and evergreen plants and told in considerable detail of the development of his own "Wodenethe" and of the estate of his relative, H. H. Hunnewell
, in Wellesley, Massachusetts
. A second supplement, added in the edition of 1875, gives a brief account of trees and shrubs introduced since 1859. In a period which marks the beginning of the professional practice of landscape architecture
in the United States, this book and its supplement exerted a great influence on popular taste. Sargent's influence may also be seen more directly in the horticultural interests of his kinsmen, H. H. Hunnewell and Charles Sprague Sargent
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
horticulturist and landscape gardener.
Biography
He was born in Boston, the first child of Hannah (Welles) Sargent and artist Henry SargentHenry Sargent
Henry Sargent , American painter and military man, was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was one of seven children born to Daniel and Mary Sargent...
. Educated at the Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
and at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, where he was graduated in the class of 1830 with a creditable record, he first studied law in the Boston office of Samuel Hubbard but never practiced law. He next became a partner in the banking house of Gracie and Sargent, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
agents of his uncle, Samuel Welles, a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
banker.
On January 10, 1839, he married Caroline Olmsted, daughter of Maria (Wyckoff) and Francis Olmsted of New York, who survived him. There were three children of this marriage, two of whom predeceased their father.
In 1841 Sargent retired and moved to "Wodenethe", an estate of about 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) on a plateau overlooking the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
just above Fishkill Landing (now Beacon
Beacon, New York
Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
), New York, which soon became famous for its distant views and its vistas cut through the native forest to the Hudson and the mountains, and for its extensive plantation of coniferous
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
trees. In planning it, the owner was without doubt assisted and inspired by his friend and neighbor, Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing was an American landscape designer, horticulturalist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival style in the United States, and editor of The Horticulturist magazine...
, the foremost American landscape gardener of the day.
In 1847-49 he travelled with his family in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
, primarily to gather plants and to study the design of parks and country places. As a result he later published a comprehensive garden guide entitled Skeleton Tours (1870), which included the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, the Scandinavian Peninsula
Scandinavian Peninsula
The Scandinavian Peninsula is a peninsula in Northern Europe, which today covers Norway, Sweden, and most of northern Finland. Prior to the 17th and 18th centuries, large parts of the southern peninsula—including the core region of Scania from which the peninsula takes its name—were part of...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He was a frequent contributor to horticultural papers, especially to the Horticulturist, and in 1873 with Charles Downing
Charles Downing (pomologist)
Charles Downing , American pomologist, horticulturist, and author, although not as well known to the public as his brother Andrew Jackson Downing, won a sound reputation for his creative work in pomology...
he wrote a supplement to Andrew Downing's Cottage Residences (1842).
His most important literary contribution is his supplement to the sixth (1859) and subsequent editions of Downing's A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening (1841). In this he gave an account of the newer deciduous and evergreen plants and told in considerable detail of the development of his own "Wodenethe" and of the estate of his relative, H. H. Hunnewell
H. H. Hunnewell
Horatio Hollis Hunnewell , was a banker, railroad financier, philanthropist, amateur botanist, and one of the most prominent horticulturists in America in the nineteenth century. Horatio Hunnewell was a partner in the private banking firm of Welles & Co. Paris, France controlled by his in-laws...
, in Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
. A second supplement, added in the edition of 1875, gives a brief account of trees and shrubs introduced since 1859. In a period which marks the beginning of the professional practice of landscape architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
in the United States, this book and its supplement exerted a great influence on popular taste. Sargent's influence may also be seen more directly in the horticultural interests of his kinsmen, H. H. Hunnewell and Charles Sprague Sargent
Charles Sprague Sargent
Charles Sprague Sargent was an American botanist. He was the first director of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts and the standard botanical author abbreviation Sarg. is applied to plants he described.-Biography:Sargent was the second son of Henrietta and...
.