Judith B. Tankard is an award winning landscape historian, author, and preservation consultant with ten illustrated books on landscape under her belt. We are excited to announce that she has authored “Ellen Shipman and the American Garden,” and will be signing copies of the new book at the Museum on Friday, April 13 from 10 to 11 a.m.
Philadelphia native Ellen Biddle Shipman discovered her remarkable talent for landscape design in an artists’ colony in Cornish, New Hampshire in the early 20th century. Shipman began as a hands-on gardner, then studied drafting under Charles A. Platt; collaborated with Platt, Warren H. Manning, and other great landscape architects; and ultimately set up her own offices in both New Hampshire and New York City. Known for her sumptuous flower borders and artistic planting style, she contributed to more than 650 gardens around the country.
One of the aforementioned gardens was the Italian Garden of Arthur and Ninah Cummer. Designed in 1931 after a trip to Italy where the couple spent time in villas and gardens from the Italian Lakes to Naples, their Italian Garden remains a favorite spot for Jacksonville residents and visitors alike. While the lower tier of the gardens are not currently open, due to damage caused by Hurricane Irma, work is being done to bring them back to their previous glory.
Tankard’s previous work “The Gardens of Ellen Biddle Shipman” was not only the first book to present Shipman’s legacy, but brought attention to the neglected history of women in American landscape architecture. Join landscape historian Judith Tankard for a signing of her latest book, “Ellen Shipman and the American Garden”, which features the Italian Garden at the Museum both in the book and on the cover. This special event is affiliated with The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program.
