Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Watercolors by Martha Brookes Hutcheson |
Scope & Content |
Watercolors by Martha Brookes Hutcheson -Watercolor of Path on paper mounted to board (BB2021.4.3) -Watercolor with mat of fern tree, "Fern Hill" (BB2021.4.4) This collection contains papers, published articles, photographs and glass slides that were assembled by Martha Brookes Hutcheson regarding her career, family genealogy, family history, Merchiston Farm, and landscape gardening. |
Object Name |
Painting |
Catalog Number |
BB2021.004.0003-.0004 |
Collection |
Bamboo Brook Collection |
Physical characteristics |
2 watercolors |
Creator |
Hutcheson, Martha Brookes |
Biographical History |
Martha Brookes Hutcheson, nee Brown, born in New York City in 1871, spent part of her childhood at her mother's family home in Burlington, VT where she was put in charge of her first garden at age 10. Having graduated from the New York School of Design in 1899, than taken watercolor painting from and attended a three-year landscape program at MIT from 1900 - 1903, Martha Brown gained additional horticultural education studying under Prof. Sargent of the Arnold Arboretum. She traveled extensively in Europe studying gardens. Her first practice was in the Boston area where her clients included the owners of huge estates of the North Shore, the Longfellow homestead in Cambridge, Bennington College in Vermont. She relocated to Park Ave. in New York City and her new clients included owners of large estates on Long Island. In 1911, she married Wm. A. Hutcheson and together they purchased a property in Chester, NJ that became their summer/country home for the next 30+ years. In 1912, their only child, Martha, was born, and it appears that Martha Brookes Hutcheson ceased designing landscapes for clients but actively pursued lecturing, writing, and consulting. She published The Spirit of the Garden in 1923. During WWII, the Hutchesons moved year round into their NJ home, Merchiston Farm. In 1942 William died. Daughter Martha had married and lived elsewhere but Mrs. Hutcheson stayed at Merchiston Farm until her death in 1959. Her property was given to the Morris County Park Commission in 1973. |
Year Range from |
1885 |
Year Range to |
1900 |
System of arrangement |
Arrangement 1)Papers- 92.1-29. 2)Account Books, BB1992.27.1-6, BB1992.28.1-5 3)Image Collection (BB2010.1) a. Negatives (BB2010.2) b.Glass Lantern Slides (BB2010.3) c. Photo Albums (BB2010.4.1-7) |
Subjects |
Drawings Watercolors Portfolios Design Design drawings |
Parent ObjectID |
BB2018.002 |
Copyrights |
Records may be copied for use in individual scholarly or personal research; however, as with all materials in the Park Commission, researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use the material from the collection. |
Level of description |
Item |