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Garden
Furnishings Collection |
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 The
many Smithsonian gardens near the National Mall in Washington,
D.C. serve as perfect spaces in which to enjoy a variety of
historic garden furnishings and ornaments. Many of the urns,
chairs, settees, and fountains in the Horticulture Services
Division (HSD) Garden Furnishings Collection date to the late
nineteenth century. Both the Smithsonian's Archives of American
Gardens and the Smithsonian Institution Libraries maintain
visual and textual documentation about the many patterns and
forms included in the collection.
Six design periods are represented in the Horticulture Services
Division Garden Furnishings Collection: Gothic Revival, Rustic,
Renaissance Revival, Rococo Revival, Naturalistic, and Contemporary.
Most of the pieces are made of cast iron. The casting process
required molten iron to be poured into one or more molds and
then cooled. |
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Design
Periods represented in the Horticulture Services Division
Garden Furnishings Collection |
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Carved details and pierced elements such as quatrefoils and
pointed arches are associated with the medieval crafts traditions
of these rare pieces. |
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Rustic elements in the form of twigs, leaves, and snakes represent
man's desire to tame the wilderness. This design idea was
suggested almost a century earlier when chairs and tables
were assembled from actual branches. |
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(1860-1875)
This style was derived from 16th century Italian interpretation
of classical antiquity. Decorative swag rims and griffin heads
often adorn urns and vases. Chairs, inspired by architectural
designs, feature shaped panels of cut out linear decoration. |
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(1860-1880)
The curve is an important as a characteristic of this style.
Florid, French-influenced components expressing a sense of
movement and delicacy include pierced seats, curved and tapered
legs, serpentine tracery backs crested with blossoms, and
frilled C- and S-shaped scrollwork. |
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(1870-20th century)
Designers from New York to New Orleans created realistic looking
motifs including grape clusters, ferns, leaves, flowers, squirrels,
and swans. Stylistic details differed depending upon which
region of the U. S. the piece originated. |
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(1900-1950)
Twentieth century technological advancements, including the
introduction of extruded aluminum and durable plastic, signaled
a waning interest in cast iron furniture. Small gauge steel
wirework furniture was highly decorative, insect resistant,
easily portable (unlike heavy cast iron), and could withstand
the outside elements (unlike rattan). |
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Plant
Containers