Cascade/Cataract/Waterfall

History

Cascade, cataract, and waterfall were terms used interchangeably to designate a water feature, either natural or artificial, that was part of a designed landscape. These terms, which were synonymous, were in common usage and garden literature by the beginning of the eighteenth century. Only Noah Webster’s dictionary (1828) made any distinction among them, stating that the cataract was a cascade on a large scale. The more frequent synonymous usage of the terms is found in A. J. Downing’s essay on Montgomery Place (1847), where he entitled a section, “The cataract,” but then used the term “waterfall” in the text that followed.

This garden feature was achieved either by incorporating a preexisting waterfall into the garden scheme, by enhancing a small falls with the addition of rocks, or by building a completely artificial cascade. Directions for constructing cascades suggest that they were features that could be built on a range of scales, suitable for small gardens, large estates, and public waterways such as Fairmount Waterworks in Philadelphia. J. C. Loudon (1826), in his usual practical way, wrote that the only requirement was a wall to interrupt the flow of a stream or rivulet, causing the water to fall noisily over rocks and uneven surfaces.

The literature often describes waterfalls as part of the view beyond the garden proper. Visitors to Gray’s Garden in Philadelphia in the late eighteenth century, for example, recalled moving from the garden into the wilderness, where the falls of the Schuylkill were enjoyed before winding back to the garden [Fig. 1]. Downing offered descriptions of several cataracts that were illustrated by Alexander Jackson Davis, including those found at Montgomery Place [Fig. 2] and Blithewood [Fig. 3]. Located in the Hudson River Valley, these cataracts were connected to the designed landscape by the addition of paths, summerhouses, rustic furniture, and bridges. Although it often preexisted the garden, the cascade played a role in the experience of surprise and variety belonging to both the designed and naturally picturesque landscape [Fig. 4]. The feature also could serve as a compositional terminus, as noted by the writer Constantia (1790).

Visitors often described the cascade as one of the most important elements in the sensory experience of the garden since it combined sound, which broke the silence, with the movement and vitality caused by the action of the falling water and its cooling spray. Downing, for example, noted that “[t]his valley is musical with the sound of waterfalls.” The sounds of crashing and gurgling water frequently preceded the view of the cascade, adding suspense to the catalogue of sensations felt by the visitor as he or she walked through the garden.

The question of taste was an issue as well; George William Johnson (1847) noted that a cascade was agreeable “only when properly associated with the scenery around.” The cascade or waterfall in the garden was an important element of the landscape because of the numerous associations it evoked. The cascade at Tivoli, the fountains of Versailles, Virginia Waters at Windsor, were all icons of European garden design that many designers sought to emulate. Others knew cascades such as Great Falls, Va., and Niagara Falls, N.Y., as America’s natural wonders, and writers such as Thomas Jefferson used these sites as proof of the bounty and sublimity of the new nation.

-- Therese O’Malley