Pierre Boitard

A interesting looking book just sold on e-bay for $1.031.00 Not bad for a 1834 book on Garden Architecture.

Here’s a blurb on the listing:

Pierre Boitard’s 1834 Manuel de L’Architecte des Jardins. Handsomely bound in red morocco, this very rare volume presents an unparalleled picture of every aspect of garden landscaping and garden architecture in the 19th century. None have been sold at auction in twenty-five years and the only institutional copy we could locate is in the British Library. The only copy for sale on the Internet is a later (1845) edition priced at $2398. We offer our 1834 copy without reserve.

I’ve pulled a couple of pages/illustrations from the listing that I found interesting.

[ Examples of ‘clipping” work ca1834. ]

Here’s another.

[ It appears the mowers are at work. ]

Here’s the title page

[ The book looked to be in good shape for it’s age. ]

I bring this book up because it’s good to know where we have been, and how others in the profession face challenges and came up with solutions. Granted it’s a little different style/class of client but design principles are design principles.

This style of design is worth studying because there are principles to be learned from, borrowed from and used in the present day.

So good reading to the new lucky reader of this great looking book. It’s on this page, not sure how long it will be here, but I’ll post it anyway.

One last look from the book.

[some gate, wrought iron possibilities. ]

Interesting stuff