Rainy Day Inspiration: The Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection

Few things make me happier on a rainy day than to peruse my favorite garden images.  Photographs of bright flowers, perfectly ripe vegetables, fountains, and garden paths have the ability to lift my spirits like no other tonic.  The Internet is ripe with inspiring images, and I recently discovered a fascinating new collection. 

The Library of Congress has digitized the garden photography of Frances Benjamin Johnston, a Victorian-era photojournalist and portrait photographer.  Johnston trained in Paris in the 1880s and opened her first studio in the United States around 1890.  She became interested in garden and estate photography in the 1910s.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Library of Congress Collection.

"Senuelo," (Path to rose garden).  Library of Congress, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.16030

 

"House of Usefulness," (schoolhouse window box).  Library of Congress, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.16136 

Mary Ball Washington House, View to flower garden.  Library of Congress, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.16162

To see more images from this beautiful collection, visit Library of Congress .