Ellen Biddle Shipman
“Until women took up landscaping, gardening in this country was at its lowest ebb. The renaissance of the art was due largely to the fact that women, instead of working over their boards, used plants as if they were painting pictures as an artist.”
DESCRIPTION OF WORK
Ellen Shipman turned to landscape architecture after a failed marriage in 1910 left her the responsibility of raising three young children. Her personal gardens were admired by Charles Platt, who offered Shipman informal training in design and construction. By early 1920, she moved her office to New York City and continued to practice until 1940, completing nearly 600 gardens. Shipman hired only women, preferring graduates from the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture. In 1933 she was named “Dean of Women Landscape Architects” due to her contributions to design and her relentless support of female designers.
Ellen Shipman turned to landscape architecture after a failed marriage in 1910 left her the responsibility of raising three young children. Her personal gardens were admired by Charles Platt, who offered Shipman informal training in design and construction. By early 1920, she moved her office to New York City and continued to practice until 1940, completing nearly 600 gardens. Shipman hired only women, preferring graduates from the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture. In 1933 she was named “Dean of Women Landscape Architects” due to her contributions to design and her relentless support of female designers.
BORN
1869
1869
DESCENT
American
American
DISCIPLINE
Landscape Architecture