Object Details
Creator
James, Arthur Curtiss
James, Harriet Eddy [Hetty], 1868-1941
Gardener
Greatorex, John
Rosarian
Foote, Harriett Risley, 1863-
Contractor
Peckham Brothers
Hempstead of Boston
Lantern slide maker
Van Altena, Edward
Landscape architect
Olmsted Brothers
Creator
Garden Club of New Haven
Powell, Alan, M/Ms
Hamilton, Samuel, Mrs.
Collection Creator
Sears, Thomas Warren, 1880-1966
Sears & Wendell
Olmsted Brothers
Harvard University
American Society of Landscape Architects
Collection Citation
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection.
Scope and Contents
The folder includes correspondence, articles and information sheet compiled by GCA representative.
sova.aag.srs_ref4242
General
"There is an austere elegance about a green garden; pink or yellow or red are frivolous except as accents, but the garden that appeals to the romantic, universal soul is the blue garden. That is why the Blue Garden of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Curtiss James was the ultimate goal of so many Newport Pilgrims. A very stately garden it is with the iridescent quality which blue flowers that really are mauve and purple and grayish, rather than true, sharp blue, impart. Its irregular symmetry makes it difficult to describe without a ground plan. At the two far distant ends are colonnades with gray rocks and irregular green plantations beyond, and the lower end is a circle of matchless turf whose boundary is rock and shrubs. The upper part is a circle, too, formed by a rustic lattice of slender split branches over which grow Clematis Jackmanii, mauve Sweet-peas and other charming creepers, backed by Cedars and Pines. In the center are two pools fed by water that trickles from beneath the colonnade."
"A thousand foot rose garden was blasted out of granite rock. A long grass allee originated by the reflecting pool, was planted with 5,000 roses of many varieties. The allee ascended several levels of stone walls and steps and climaxed under a high granite cliff, where a splendid stone and ironwork balustrade and imposing pergola were located. Mr. James died in 1942, all the roses were dug and sold and nature moved in to sow her seeds."
"The Beacon Hill house was left unoccupied and in 1967 finally succumbed to vandalism and fire." The gardens have been restored by subsequent owners.
Persons associated with the property include: Arthur Curtiss James (former owner, 1909-1940); Olmsted Brothers (landscape architects); John Greatorex (superintendent of grounds and landscape gardener); Harriet R. Foote (garden designer and rosarian); Peckham Brothers (contractors for rose garden); Hempstead of Boston (landscape contractors/superintendent); Edward Van Altena (lantern slide maker).
Place
Beacon Hill (Newport, Rhode Island)
United States of America -- Rhode Island -- Newport County -- Newport
Topic
Gardens -- Rhode Island -- Newport
Creator
James, Arthur Curtiss
James, Harriet Eddy [Hetty], 1868-1941
Gardener
Greatorex, John
Rosarian
Foote, Harriett Risley, 1863-
Contractor
Peckham Brothers
Hempstead of Boston
Lantern slide maker
Van Altena, Edward
Landscape architect
Olmsted Brothers
Creator
Garden Club of New Haven
Powell, Alan, M/Ms
Hamilton, Samuel, Mrs.
See more items in
Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection
Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection / Series 1: Photographic Images / United States / Rhode Island
Custodial History
The Garden Club of New Haven facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
Archival Repository
Archives of American Gardens
Identifier
AAG.SRS, File RI035
Type
Archival materials
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.
Bibliography
Garden featured in Levee, Arleyn A. The Blue Garden: Recapturing an Iconic Newport Landscape. Newport: Redwood Library and Athenaeum, 2016.
Garden featured in Griswold, Mac and Weller, Eleanor. Golden Age of American Gardens. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991.
Garden featured in Phelps, Harriet Jackson. Newport in Flower. Newport, RI: Preservation Society of Newport County, 1979, page 101-112.
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.
AAG.SRS_ref4242
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb60f476842-f41d-43d3-bbda-0c3291365863
AAG.SRS
AAG
Record ID
ebl-1562707900944-1562707902153-4