Patios, Pools, & the Invention of the American Backyard

Using vintage photographs, historic drawings, and period advertisements from the collections of the Smithsonian Gardens’ Archives of American Gardens, Patios, Pools, & the Invention of the American Backyard explores the mid-century backyard from the rise of the suburbs and tract houses, to the beauty of postwar garden design, and the birth of the environmental movement.

We asked for your personal memories of backyard fun from this era. Featured below are some videos from New England families having fun in the sun.