Frederick Law Olmsted was born on April 26, 1822, in Hartford, Connecticut. He’s considered the father of American landscape architecture. Some of his most well-known projects include New York’s Central and Prospect Parks as well as the US Capitol building grounds. Olmsted and his brother John shared a love of nature and travel instilled by their father. Olmsted planned to attend Yale College, but suffered from sumac poisoning that weakened his eyes. He worked as a seaman and a merchant before establishing a farm in Staten Island, New York in 1848. He also had a successful career in journalism that enabled him to travel to Europe. His time there inspired Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England. He also visited Birkenhead Park, which would eventually provide inspiration for his Central Park design. Olmsted then spent five years traveling through the American South to research and write about the economic impact of slavery. His writings were later collected into three volumes.