Watercolour of Buckingham House's East Library

The Libraries of George III

George III was a keen bibliophile

HUMPHRY REPTON (1752–1818)

Sketches and hints on landscape gardening, collected from designs and observations... tending to establish fixed principles in the art of laying out ground / Humphry Repton.

1794

277 x 378 x 24 mm (book measurement (conservation)) | RCIN 1057047

Humphry Repton was one of the last great landscape gardeners of the eighteenth century. Building on the work of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, Repton created vistas which better represented his idea of the picturesque landscape.

In this book, Repton sets out his principles of landscape gardening, providing examples from his own practice. In order to illustrate his proposals, Repton devised an ingenious method: the basic plate would display the projected view, while hinged pieces of paper attached to it depicted the existing one. Repton’s clients would then be able to compare the two views to  greater effect than if they were placed side by side.


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