Hand-Tinted Gardens

Hand-tinting of lantern slides tends to be garish at best, and toe-curling at worst (though also, in my opinion, almost always enjoyable!). However, there is nothing inherent about that process that dictates this result. These slides are a beautiful illustration of this fact. They come from a collection of more than 1000 held by the Library of Congress, taken by photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston from the 1890s to 1930s. The slides were projected at lectures promoting gardening. The tinting is just exquisite, bringing the best of painting to already-fine photography. 

There is apparently a book on these slides entitled Gardens for a Beautiful America, 1895-1935 by Sam Watters; I haven't seen it in person (and my graduate budget sadly precludes buying it at the moment) but it looks terrific!

Library of Congress

"Chatham," Colonel Daniel Bradford Devore house, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1927. Source

Library of Congress

"Newmar," Senator George Almer Newhall house, 1761 Manor Drive, Hillsborough, California, 1917. Source

Library of Congress

"Armsea Hall," Charles Frederick Hoffman Jr. house, Narragansett Bay, Newport, Rhode Island, 1914.  Source

Library of Congress

"Cragston," John Pierpont Morgan house, Highland Falls, New York, ca. 1913. Source

Library of Congress

"El Fureidis," James Waldron Gillespie house, Parra Grande Lane, Montecito, California, 1917. Source

Library of Congress

Michael Cochrane Armour house, Pasadena, California, 1917. Source

Library of Congress

"York Hall," Captain George Preston Blow house, Yorktown, Virginia, 1929. Source

Library of Congress

Field of poppies and lupin, California, 1917.  Source

Library of Congress

"El Fureidis," James Waldron Gillespie house, Montecito, California, 1917.  Source

Library of Congress

"Casa de Mariposa," Walter Franklin Cobb house, Butterfly Lane, Montecito, California, 1917. Source

Library of Congress

"Quiet Corner," John Wesley Baxter house, Greenwich, Connecticut, 1920. Source

Library of Congress

Villa Lante, Bagnaia, Lazio, Italy, 1925. Source

Library of Congress

"Lob's Wood," Carl H. Krippendorf house, Perintown (Milford), Ohio, ca. 1920. Source

Library of Congress

"Quiet Corner," John Wesley Baxter, Greenwich, Connecticut, 1920. Source

Library of Congress

"Inellan," Walter Douglas house, Channel Drive, Montecito, California, 1917. Source

Library of Congress

West Potomac Park, Washington, D.C., 1921. Source

Library of Congress

Santa Barbara Mission, Santa Barbara, California, 1917. Source

Library of Congress

Villa I Tatti, Ponte a Mensola, near Settignano, Italy, 1925.  Source