It was excellent timing to catch a flower EXPLOSION.
Wandering the rose garden. We were highly entertained by the names of the types of roses.
Construction on Huntington’s mansion was completed in 1911. It’s an art museum now.
The mansion’s main stairway.
Two “A Portrait of a Young Gentleman” paintings, the one on the left by Kehinde Wiley and the one on the right by Thomas Gainsborough (it’s now known as “The Blue Boy”). Wiley is known for “painting Black and brown models in the same poses struck by sitters in historical paintings. By using a portrait format associated with privilege, Wiley glorifies those who are marginalized and who have been historically subjugated. His paintings ask us to reconsider how representation reflects power.” (Wiley also did President Obama’s portrait.)
This embroidery hanging combines two wallpaper patterns by Arts and Crafts designer Charles Francis Annesley Voysey. It’s a snake in the poppies.
The Japanese Garden.
A detail of the wall in the Japanese Garden.
The bonsai collection is so cool. This is a California juniper.
The cactus garden.
Little cactus clumps.
I couldn’t get over the density of the flowers.
Lunch at the 1919 Cafe. It was a sort of fancy food court. I went with the vegan watermelon poke bowl, and it was delicious.
