Letter from John Thacher to Beatrix Farrand, Valley Club of Montecito, P.O. Box 1140, Santa Barbara, California, December 4, 1945 Digital
Scope and Contents
Copy of typescript letter from John Thacher to Beatrix Farrand thanks her for the letter of November 29th and tells her the situation with regard to the garden upsets him as a layman as much as it upsets her as a professional. He shares his dissatisfaction with James Bryce's management of the garden areas, building, and his staff. He asked Bryce to designate someone on his staff to be reponsible to me for keeping the Orangery, etc. in order to explain how the furniture should be placed at the Swimming Pool loggia, in the Orangery and so on. So far no one has appeared for his instructions. He thinks that the gardening staff do not receive his orders kindly or with affection and do not seem to have the regard or respect for him that is necessary in a closely-knit organization. He questions Bryce's ability to manage his gardening staff of ten men and criticizes his artistic judgment regarding flowers. Thacher does not believer that the deterioration of the gardens is due to a lack of manpower. responding to questions about garden projects, and describing potential issues with James Bryce as Superintendent of the gardens. He lists others issues related to the gardens, postcards, and kodachrome photographs of the garden.
Dates
- Creation: December 4, 1945
Language of Materials
Materials chiefly in English with a few items in Greek, Latin, French, Italian, or Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access
An appointment is required for access to these papers. To request an appointment, fill out the online form: http://www.doaks.org/research/library-archives/access-and-hours/schedule-an-appointment.
For research queries, contact the staff of Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives (library@doaks.org).
Extent
23 boxes (Approximately 2632 items including correspondence, expense reports, invoices, estimates, deposit records, book lists, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and plant lists.)Creator
- From the Sub-Group: Farrand, Beatrix, 1872-1959 (Person)
- From the Sub-Group: Thacher, John, 1904-1982 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Dumbarton Oaks Repository
Dumbarton Oaks holds archival collections in its Rare Book Collection, Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives, and the Dumbarton Oaks Archives. The collections include: the papers of noteworthy scholars in the three fields that Dumbarton Oaks supports (Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and Garden and Landscape); image collections depicting objects or sites of topical interest to scholars in the three fields; Beatrix Farrand’s personal archive of letters and original drawings that document the development of the Dumbarton Oaks Garden; and institutional records and architectural plans and drawings documenting the history of Dumbarton Oaks. For more information about hours and to make an appointment to consult any of the collections listed here, please fill out the request form: https://www.doaks.org/research/library-archives/schedule-an-appointment