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Abstract
This paper investigates views along the George Washington Memorial Parkway between Washington, D.C., and Mount Vernon, Virginia, especially their role in transforming the Potomac River waterfront from
land into
landscape. It discusses the design of a narrative sequence of views by landscape architect Wilbur Simonson and its importance in the commemoration of George Washington, the ideological purpose of the parkway. It places this emphasis on views within the discourse of landscape painting and cultural geographic interpretation of landscape ideology, showing the complexities of landscape values embedded in landscape paintings and revealing a similar complexity in the design of the original segment of the parkway. It concludes with a discussion of the values of a cultural geographic approach for landscape management.
Parent Publication
Citation
Kelsch, Paul J. 2018. Viewing the "Landscape" of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. In: Gobster, Paul H.; Smardon, Richard C., eds. Visual resource stewardship conference proceedings: landscape and seascape management in a time of change. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-183. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 86-95.
