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.