Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening
Author Humphry Repton British
Publisher William Bulmer & Co. British
Dedicatee George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland British
Not on view
Repton published this hand-colored aquatint of the estate of Brandsbury in Middlesex (a vanished site in what is now Brondesbury, London) in Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening (1795). One of the first estates that Repton "improved," it is depicted here with liftable flaps to show the site before and after his alternations. In this case, a fence was removed, to open up the view over rolling meadows filled with picturesque grazing cattle. Repton became England's leading landscape designer after the death of Lancelot "Capability" Brown in 1783, and his success rested partly on his skilled presentation of ideas to clients in appealing before and after watercolor drawings. Bound in morrocan leather, these sets of drawings became known as his "Red Books." The Brandsbury "Red Book" was the first of at least 300 that Repton created during his long career.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.