Yesterday I was lucky enough to fulfill a big book-related goal by seeing the original Greensward drawing by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted in person! This was the original plan for Central Park, and I’ve been dying to see it ever since I began work on A Green Place to Be back in 2015, when I narrowly missed getting to see it at the Arsenal. Now I have so many questions!! Who drew what? What was their drawing process on this? Did they work from one end to the other, or section by section, or on the whole piece at once? Are the smears on the brown lettering due to time and age/damage, or due to a hand passing over them as they rushed to finish this drawing before the design contest deadline? I’m in love with the sketchy little trees, and if you look closely you can see all of the tiny marks for the grass, which Olmsted and Vaux’s friends helped out with. The beauty, detail, and style of this blew me away, and I feel so lucky to have seen a piece that came directly from these two designers’ hands. 🌳 I am so grateful to my editor Hilary for letting me know that the drawing was on view at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, and to @rebeccabednarz for helping me and my family to see it. As luck would have it I caught the Nature’s Nation: American Art and the Environment show right before it closes this weekend! If you’re in New England then head over to Salem to catch this breathtaking and informative exhibit before it closes after May 5th. . . . . . #agreenplacetobe #centralpark @centralparknyc @peabodyessex #peabodyessexmuseum #calvertvaux #fredericklawolmsted #nature #babysfirstmuseum #mywildbird #mywildbirdtanager #greensward #landscapearchitecture (at Peabody Essex Museum) https://www.instagram.com/ashleytree/p/BxAXLmBBakf/?igshid=1e5t6d7m13ks9