THE LANDSCAPE BEAUTIFUL 



that, though Downing was by far the abler 

 man, the methods of gardening, and the 

 whole point of view of the two men were 

 alike to an extraordinary degree. The state 

 of landscape gardening in England in that 

 day — 1 83 5- 1 840 — may be pictured with a 

 few strokes of the pen. The extravagances 

 of Brown and his immediate imitators had 

 been succeeded by the practical common 

 sense and masterful genius of Repton. 

 In the hands of Repton the natural style 

 had been established on a rational basis, 

 and for all future generations. Then had 

 followed the inevitable bevy of copyists, 

 praising Repton's mastery by constant 

 unimaginative repetition of his tricks, — 

 holding to his methods without his genius, 

 — ^precisely as Downing's disciples were to 

 follow Downing one or two decades later. 

 Downing was influenced chiefly by Repton, 

 but this influence came to him largely at 

 second hand, even as you and I began our 

 work under the second-hand inspiration of 

 the genius of Newburgh. 



Frederick Law Olmsted stands easily 

 as the greatest figure in American 

 landscape gardening. By many good 

 authorities he is rated as the greatest 



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