Andrew Jackson Downing

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Portrait of Andrew Jackson Downing

Andrew Jackson Downing (born October 30, 1815 in Newburgh , Orange County , New York - † July 28, 1852 on the Hudson River ) was an American landscaper and writer, a prominent exponent of the Gothic Revival style and editor of The Horticulturist ( 1846-1852).

biography

Downing was born in Newburgh, New York, United States in 1815 to the landscaper and wheelwright Samuel Downing and Becky Crandall. After leaving school at 16, he worked in his father's nursery in Newburgh and gradually became interested in landscape gardening and architecture. After his father's death in 1822, Andrew's older brother initially took over the nursery; Andrew joined the company as a partner in 1835, which from then on operated under the name C & AJ Downing. The brothers ran the nursery together until Charles sold his stake in 1839 and opened his own nursery.

Andrw Jackson Downing began to train himself intensively in botany and landscape gardening. His writing career began in the 1830s with articles for various newspapers and horticultural magazines. In 1841 his first book, A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to North America , was published with great success; it was the first book of its kind to be published in the United States.

1842

In 1842, Downing worked with Alexander Jackson Davis on the book Cottage Residences , a highly regarded work on houses that combined romantic architecture with rural English architecture ( Picturesque ), largely based on the writings of John Claudius Loudon . The book was widely read and consulted. It was important in spreading the so-called "carpentry gothic" and the Hudson River Bracketed architectural style among Victorian builders, both commercial and private.

With his brother Charles he wrote the book Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1845), which was a standard work for a long time. This was followed by The Architecture of Country Houses (1850), another influential book.

Although the mansion-like Warren House in Newburgh was designed by Calvert Vaux , it is often associated with Downing as it shows off many of his cottage residences design ideas .

Mid 1840s

Downing was a celebrity of his time in the mid 1840s. This made his friendship with Luther Tucker possible. The publisher and printer from Albany, New York, hired Downing to publish a new journal. The Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste were first published under Editor-in-Chief Downing in the summer of 1846. He remained editor-in-chief until his untimely death in 1852. The magazine was his greatest influence on society, dealing with the fields of horticulture, fruit growing, botany, entomology, rural architecture, landscaping and, unofficially, public welfare. In this publication, Downing campaigned for a park in New York for the first time, from which the idea of Central Park arose. He also campaigned in the magazine for state agricultural schools, which were also introduced. He also worked hard in this magazine to further develop the tastes of his readers in the fields of architecture and landscape design, but also their view of moral issues. Downing was elected Honorary NA of the National Academy of Design in 1845 .

1850

When Downing traveled through Europe in 1850, he became aware of an exhibition by the Englishman Calvert Vaux , which showed watercolors of European landscapes. He encouraged Vaux to emigrate to the United States and founded a successful architecture firm in Newburgh. Frederick Clarke Withers (1828-1901) joined the company in the second year. Downing and Vaux worked together for two years, during which time he made Vaux a partner. Together they worked on many significant projects, such as the White House site and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.His work at the Smithsonian inspired Vaux to write an article in The Horticulturist stating that he believed it to be for the government the time would be to recognize and promote the arts.

His death

A short time later, in 1852, Downing died in the sinking of the steamship Henry Clay while he was traveling on the Hudson River with his wife and their family. A boiler explosion set the wooden ship on fire and Downing was burned. All that remained was ashes and his belongings were found days later. His remains were buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in his native Newburgh. Withers and Vaux took over Downing's architectural practice.

legacy

Downing influenced not only Vaux, but also the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted ; the two men met at Downing's house. In 1858, their joint design "The Greensward Plan" was selected in a design competition for the new Central Park in New York City. A memorial on the Smithsonian's main building commemorates the merits of Downing, and the botanist John Torrey named the genus Downingia , a bluebell family, after him.

In 1889 the City of Newburgh commissioned Withers and Vaux to design a park. They accepted the contract on the assumption that the park should be named Downing Park after their previous mentor. The park opened in 1897; it was their last collaboration.

Downing's only surviving structure is Matthew Vassar's Springside property in Poughkeepsie, New York. The property's cottage and garden are a National Historic Landmark .

  • Design II, English or Rural Gothic Style, Cottage Residences , 1842.

  • Design VI, Italian style, Cottage Residences , 1842.

  • Wood engraving of Andrew J. Downing's home in Newburgh on the Hudson

  • Plan of the house and garden area with orchard and vineyard

Selected works

Literature and references

  1. ^ UP Hedrick: The Cherries of New York - Report of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station for the Year 1914. JP Lyon. Albany 1915, p. 235
  2. ↑ Andrew J. Downing cited from “Country Houses” in: The Horticulturist, and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste Published by Luther Tucker (1855)
  3. ↑ nationalacademy.org: Past Academicians "D" ( Memento of the original from January 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed June 12, 2015)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nationalacademy.org

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Downing, Andrew Jackson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Downing, Andrew
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American architect
DATE OF BIRTH October 30, 1815
PLACE OF BIRTH Newburgh (Town, New York)
DATE OF DEATH July 28, 1852
Place of death Hudson River