Archives of American Gardens
www.gardens.si.edu
Capture American garden history before it is lost
Preserve unique and high-quality images of historic and contemporary gardens
Make documentation readily accessible for a variety of research purposes
aag.si.edu
Born near Harrisburg, PAFather was a schoolmaster,
Union Army Lt. Col., supt. of PA’s orphans’ schools, nurseryman, publisher of weekly newspaper
Inspired by photography & printing exhibits at 1876 Centennial Exposition
bought his father’s press in 1878 at age of 19
At Breeze Hill, 1909.
Started printing short seed lists
Created a niche in horticultural advertising
Advertised his services to nurseries throughout U.S.
Large contracts – thousands of catalogs
Moved business to former school in downtown Harrisburg
Conveniently locatedEducated growers
about importance of advertising year round
Other print commissions
Mount Pleasant PressMay 1907
Composition/Art/ Layout
Photography/Photo Sales
ElectrotypingPressroomBinderyPublicity“Intelligent
Printing”
Pioneer in plant portraiture
Extensive photography services
Image library with 30,000-40,000 images
Bissell Garden, Rochester, NY. June 1916.
Studied under William KurtzInventor of 3-color photo engraving
processManaged Kurtz’s Coloritype Co. in 1894
Breeze HillSeptember 1928
Unidentified Garden. c. 1930s.
Lectured at Harvard Graduate School of Business on printing and publishing (1912-17)
Consulted with U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on 1930 Plant Patent Act
Work for major publishers
2.5 acre property approx. 1 mile from Mount Pleasant Press
“My Growing Garden” (1915)
Opened to the public
J. Horace McFarland at Breeze Hill. May 1942.
Trial gardens for commercial growers and USDAUsed for numerous Mt. Pleasant Press publicity shots
Member of Municipal League of Harrisburg (1901-46)
Comprehensive plan for parks system, water and sewer systems, street paving
Illustrated lecture on the “Harrisburg Plan”
Member of Harrisburg Park Commission (1905-13) Harrisburg Alley, c. 1910s.
Penn. State Archives
First President of American Civic Association (1904-24)Promoted education
& advocacy Prolific
communicatorFight to protect
Niagara Falls (1905-13) & Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy (1909-13)
Niagara Falls, c. 1905
“the city clean, the city practical, the city efficient”
“Campaign against Ugliness”Appointed to U.S. Dept. of
Labor’s Comm’n on Living Conditions for War Workers (1918-19)
Member of U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s Commission on Zoning (1921-37)
Chairman of Penn. State Arts Commission (1927-43)
White House Governors’ Conference on Conservation (1908)
Drafted 1st version of bill to create NPS (1910)
NPS established (1916)
Yellowstone Nat’l Park, Colter Peak &Turret MountainNPS photo by J Schmidt. 1977.
Hundreds of magazine articlesOutlook, Ladies’ Home
Journal, House and Garden, Garden and Home Building, etc.
Trade journal articlesPrinting, photographyAuthored a dozen
booksSelf-professed
‘Garden Crank’J. Horace McFarland at Breeze Hill
May 27, 1947
Edited American Rose Annual (1916-43)
Helped develop 5-part standard for classifying roses
Editor McFarland, J. Horace McFarland, and Breeze Hill roses
Headed American Joint Committee on Hort’l Nomenclature (1914-23)
Dedication of Harrisburg Municipal Rose Garden by ARSSeptember 15, 1938
Archives of American Gardens
SI Libraries NMAH’s Horticulture
Trade Literature Collection
Botany & Horticulture Branch
USDA, National Agricultural Library
Pennsylvania State Archives McFarland Exhibit
Folger Rose Garden, Summer 2010
Biography, A Thorn for Beauty, documents his achievements
ARS J. Horace McFarland Memorial Award (established 1951)
Mount Pleasant Press now an apartment building
Breeze Hill, 1923.
McFarland Collection images available at www.siris.si.edu
