This older biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. has stood the test of time and I recommend it. Laura Wood Roper writes in the style of an investigator and reporter. Her book “FLO”, published in 1973, is based on over 20 years of research, including the invaluable input of personal interviews from Frederick Olmsted, Jr. near the end of his life.
While always the observer, Roper’s wry comments eloquently express her opinions about Olmsted’s personality and those of the people with whom he was associated. She gives a more complete picture than most of Mary Olmsted, who was first the wife of Frederick’s beloved brother John. Following his death, she married Frederick and brought not only three stepchildren, but an immeasurable influence on his career.
The author is adept at illustrating the qualities in Olmsted that best define his profession: the ability to form a long range vision, and live with it through the scrutiny and compromise to conclusion, or to know when to cut your losses and move on to the next project. As Roper summarizes, “Nothing in Olmsted’s correspondence suggests that such failures of influence made him lose heart or doubt the eventual effectiveness of his work.” This quality, even more than the landscapes he left us, may be ultimately what makes the life of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. so appealing.
Excerpted from the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin