Frederick Law Olmsted 1895

John Singer Sargent painted this portrait of Frederick Law Olmsted at Biltmore Estate using oil on canvas. Sargent’s application of paint gives the impression of material substance: the heavy weave of Olmsted’s tweed suit, the roughness of the tree bark, the thick waxy leaves of the rhododendron. But the real story of materiality here lies beyond the frame. Olmsted, of course, was the pioneering landscape architect, responsible for Central Park, Prospect Park, and the grounds of Biltmore, this very estate. His genius was to make landscapes that seemed natural, but were in fact the result of immense planning and labor. Olmsted’s work brought parks to the public, but it was also commissioned by wealthy patrons, who sought to naturalize their own estates. Seen in this light, the portrait gives a view onto the contradictions of the late 19th century, where nature was both a source of respite from industrialization, and also a luxury commodity, available only to the few.