Abstract
This chapter explains how follies represented genteel ambitions, and in larger estates, functioned as explicit indicators of wealth. In an English landscape garden, the designer revealed these buildings not all at once, but incrementally, training the plants and molding the landscape to maximize the delight in discovering the previously hidden treasure of a little temple ensconced in nature. These eye-catchers led the viewer through the landscape and provided respite, shade, and covering in case of rain. Viewers may have felt they were exploring with autonomy, but follies helped define the path through the landscape. While appearing natural, English landscapes were man-made, with trees pruned to maximize views and streams dammed to create artificial ponds.
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