Sketch of Garden with a Ladder n.d.

Antoine Pierre Mongin sketched this garden with a ladder using graphite on paper. Mongin's work invites us to consider the role of gardens as spaces of both labor and leisure. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, gardens were potent symbols of social status and control over nature, as they were often meticulously designed and maintained, reflecting the wealth and power of their owners. The presence of a ladder suggests the human effort required to cultivate and maintain such spaces. Consider how class dynamics might be at play in this seemingly simple garden scene. Who is using the ladder, and for what purpose? Is it the landowner overseeing their property, or a gardener performing the physical labor of tending to the plants? The ladder itself becomes a symbol of access and hierarchy. This sketch serves not only as a landscape study, but also prompts us to consider how our relationships with the environment are deeply intertwined with social structures.