J. Horace McFarland Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0102

Staff Only

Content Description

The J. Horace McFarland Papers comprise documents used in the business operation of the J. Horace McFarland Company and Mount Pleasant Press of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Some of the photographic images in the collection were also used by McFarland for speeches and presentations he gave on topics related to civic beatification, natural resources conservation, and horticulture.

The bulk of the collection consists of photographs, glass and film negatives, transparencies, lantern slides, 35mm slides, watercolor paintings of plants (ornamentals and vegetables), and gardening subjects. There are also plant-breeding records, mainly of rose varieties. These breeding records consist mostly of cards or letter-sized forms, each containing a black and white photograph of a rose specimen, the cultivar description, and other horticultural documentation. The collection also includes original artwork; nursery and seed trade catalogs produced by McFarland's company; photographs of the business office and printing plant; and a map of Breeze Hill, which was McFarland's residence and test garden property in Harrisburg.

Dates

Creation: 1917-1975

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

J. Horace (John Horace) McFarland (1859-1948) was a conservationist, master printer, and horticulturist who specialized in producing books and catalogs for the horticultural trades, and photographs of roses. In 1878, McFarland started his own printing business, Mount Pleasant Press, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His business focused on marketing horticultural products with photographic images, and he pioneered the use of color printing processes in his trade publications. Many of the photographs printed in McFarland's publications were taken at the trial gardens on the grounds of his residence, Breeze Hill.