--This is a portrait of Frederick Law Olmsted by John Singer Sargent. Olmsted was, without question, the most important landscape designer of the 19th century and perhaps the most influential designer of American spaces.
--This could be seen as a counter-part or book-end to our first reading of the term, Cole's "Notes on American Scenery," reflecting changed attitudes toward the landscape and the relationship between city and country. In what ways are they similar or different?
--Olmsted offers a vision of the shift from a rural to an urban civilization; how does he defend or privilege urban life over rural?
--Olmsted spends a great deal of time discussing city walking; what is his vision of walking in the city? How does it compare with visions of city walking in other texts we've studied this term? How or why is the park promenade offered as a superior alternative?
--This is the latest text for our class, representing the end of the romantic era and suggesting the ways in which the city park is very much the hold over from romanticism. In what ways are the founding ideals of the park movement and the vision of city planning offered here still relevant or important to American life?
