Letter from Beatrix Farrand, Valley Club of Montecito, Santa Barbara, California to John Thacher, Dumbarton Oaks, 3101 R Street, Washington, D.C., March 21, 1947 Digital
Scope and Contents
Typescript letter from Beatrix Farrand to John Thacher informs him of her resignation as Consulting Landscape Gardener at Dumbarton Oaks due to the strain of conflicting personalities, complications, delays and details on the gardening side are more than are now possible for her to carry. The physical walking around the Dumbarton Oaks grounds is out of the question. She asks if it would be agreeable to him and Harvard University for he to become emeritus or honorary, and stand with and behind Robert Patterson "even if not on the spot." She says she would help him and Patterson in every way, but her physical presence does not seem possible. It will be up to him to decide whether a "clean break with the past" or other wise arrangement from the point of view of Harvard University and Robert and Mildred Bliss. She tells him that a complete severance of the many years of happy association with Dumbarton Oaks is difficult. The Blisses gave her a chance and with it the affection and confidence which has made the work most deeply felt and the best of a fifty year practice. She emphasizes that Anne Sweeney is indispensable at Dumbarton Oaks. She should be well paid, given facilities to work and acknowledged as a vitally important member of the garden's educational staff. The garden side of Dumbarton Oaks deserves to be treated as a definite educational project. There should be well kept records, a guide trained in horticulture and botany, and a small library or picture collection to illustrate the work on the grounds. She reports Mildred Bliss had said Thacher was far from well and in constant and considerable pain. She is distressed and grieved as they have become good friends, and one does not want a friend to be ailing or suffering.
Dates
- Creation: March 21, 1947
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