Only in America

The three Philadelphia architects who launched House & Garden magazine in 1901 intended it as a scholarly journal devoted to architecture, garden and decoration. The magazine went on to chronicle the lifestyle of a country and culture coming into its own. Along the way, it documented such diverse topics as WWI victory gardens, the first electric washing machine, American Modernism and Space Age interiors. In turn, the publication became a fascinating reflection of upper-middle-class America.

Editor-in-chief Dominique Browning, in collaboration with the staff of House & Garden, has compiled a book celebrating the magazine’s centennial: “The Well-Lived Life: A Hundred Years of House & Garden.” The following photos and text excerpts examine the changing definition of home and America’s evolution in design.

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Dominique Browning will speak at the L.A. Mart’s Designers’ Forum, April 6 at 10 a.m., in The California Room. For reservations, (213) 763-5788. L.A. Mart, 1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles.