September 18, 2021
The Huntington is a beautiful place to spend a lazy day. Established in 1919 by Henry and Arabella Huntington, it contains a library, art museum and approximately 120 acres of gardens. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit the library or museum this time around but we have visited them in the past. The Library has an incredible collection of rare manuscripts. Highlights include: one of only eleven vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible known t
o exist; manuscripts by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln; Isaac Newton’s personal copy of his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica with annotations in his own hand; and the first seven drafts of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. The art collection includes works by many famous Europeans and Americans, including most famously, The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough.
We started our stroll through the grounds by exploring the extensive Desert Garden, with its incredible collection of cacti and succulents. Then it was a stop at the Koi pond before walking through the Australian, Chinese, Japanese and Rose gardens. Here are some photos.
Mal and Lauren 