The Lawrenceville School’s historical significance is partially derived from the distinctive landscape design of Frederick Law Olmsted, universally regarded as the seminal landscape architect. Olmsted’s vision shaped outdoor spaces across North America, proving that functionality could be beautiful. We observe the bicentennial of his birth in 2022.
Olmsted was also notable as a journalist, social critic, and conservationist, but a man shaped by the context of his time. Olmsted’s most famous publication, Journeys and Explorations in the Cotton Kingdom, was written during his journalistic tour of the Antebellum South and continues to spark debate among scholars over its controversial language, questionable tone, and depictions of slavery. Olmsted insisted his signature work, New York City’s Central Park, be committed to egalitarian ideals, but its creation also ruthlessly demolished and displaced Seneca Village, a predominantly Black community. His approval of this land seizure complicates Olmsted’s legacy of social consciousness and equality. Historians and The Lawrenceville School have begun to explore this legacy in a way that frames Olmsted and his momentous work as part of a much larger American story, in a context that considers the histories of all of its people.
Much of this exhibit was created by Oak Spring Garden Foundation and the National Association for Olmsted Parks for the Olmsted 200 campaign. The Lawrenceville School has been granted permission to supplement the exhibit, which is generously on loan to the School from these two organizations.
Celebrating its 125th Anniversary, the Periwig Club has showcased plays written by playwrights who were so prolific and so talented that their works graced The Lawrenceville School’s stage multiple times over the last century. From comedies to tragedies, the plays that these individuals created helped shape Western thought, emotion, and humor. Join your classmates in The Stephan Archives to celebrate the Periwig Club and its favorite playwrights!
During his tenure at The Lawrenceville School, Dr. John L. Clark followed in the steps of Aldo Leopold’s legacy through the pursuit, discovery, and documentation of plant diversity. As the former Aldo Leopold Distinguished Teaching Chair in Environmental Science and Ethics, Clark directed annual research expeditions during summer and spring breaks to Ecuador and Cuba for Lawrenceville School students where they could participate in biodiversity scholarship through experiential learning. Travel enthusiasts, scientists, and art aficionados were delighted to see 24 enlarged, full-color O’Keeffe-like images of new and thought-to-be-extinct flowering plant species in photographs taken by Clark displayed in the Fathers Building. Candid photos of students, faculty, and Aldo Leopold (Courtesy of the Leopold Foundation) were also on display. This exhibit was designed and sponsored by The Stephan Archives.