Jacob Weidenmann: Pioneer Landscape Architect

Winner of the Ruth Emery Award by the Victorian Society of America (2008)

Born in Switzerland, Jacob Weidenmann emigrated to the United States in 1856 at the age of twenty-seven after obtaining college-level diplomas in art, architecture, and engineering. The only landscape architect in America so educated, Weidenmann quickly gained a reputation for his excellent design and brilliant solutions to complex engineering and architectural challenges. He developed an important collaboration with Frederick Law Olmsted and became a leading innovator in the field, helping to set standards and design principles for the profession. Based on four decades of research by author Rudy J. Favretti, this is the first comprehensive biography of this major artist, covering his life and career in-depth, and illuminating Weidenmann's importance in defining his profession for future practitioners. Featuring over fifty illustrations, this oversized volume places Jacob Weidenmann in the context of his time, place, and art, and locates him in the pantheon of nineteenth-century designers.