Description
The collection consists of photographs, correspondence, and project files for Elizabeth Kellam de Forest, along with materials
related to Lockwood de Forest III, her husband. Lockwood de Forest III family photos, personal and landscape photos and slides;
many images document trips around California. Correspondance with Elizabeth de Forest, 1922-1924, sketch book, scrapbook,
photo album relating to Wright Ludington. Personal papers of Elizabeth de Forest and art work and other papers relating to
the publication, The Santa Barbara Gardener.
Background
Born in San Francisco, Elizabeth Kellam (1898-1984) attended Vassar College and Stanford University, earning her Master’s
in Psychology in 1920. In 1925 she married landscape architect Lockwood de Forest III. That same year, Santa Barbara experienced
a devastating earthquake. The de Forests joined with prominent artists, architects, planners, and philanthropists to form
the Community Arts Association, ultimately rebuilding Santa Barbara in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. Together, the de
Forests founded and subsequently edited The Santa Barbara Gardener from 1925-1942, combining Elizabeth’s plant knowledge and
elegant prose with Lockwood’s knowledgeable commentary on design. After returning from World War II, Lockwood de Forest began
the landscape design for the entrance to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Following his death in 1949, Elizabeth completed
the project as a memorial to her husband. She was licensed as a landscape architect in 1952. Two major commissions were residences
for Wright Ludington in Montecito. She consulted with Thomas Church for his Montectio projects, and also served as supervising
landscape architect for a new city park in Santa Barbara, the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden. --From the Cultural Landscape
Foundation website
Extent
20.0 Linear feet
12 record storage boxes, 1 card box, 1 small flat box, 2 large flat boxes;
Restrictions
Copyrights owned by Kellam de Forest
Availability
Partially processed collection, open for use by qualified researchers.