Arthur Mangin (1824–1887) published his Les jardins: Histoire et description, one of the first comprehensive histories of gardens in French in 1867. The publication of Mangin's magnum opus was optimally timed. His publishers understood that 1867 was going to be a spectacular year to attract readers interested in gardens concurrent with the opening of the Universal Exposition with its extensive landscaping and lavish horticultural displays, the inauguration of the Buttes Chaumont gardens, and Empress Eugénie's ephemeral exhibitions at the Petit Trianon and Malmaison. In the preface, Mangin admitted that he was neither a jardinist nor a historian per se; rather, he considered himself an erudite amateur with a keen interest in the picturesque. A freelance journalist and influencer, Mangin had worked at the journal the Magasin Pittoresque where he distilled the concept of pittoresque-ness for an audience eager to learn about the sciences, art, and current events.

Two years later, Adolphe Alphand (1817–1891) began the publication of his Les promenades de Paris (1869), another lavish publication, postulating that engineers were the best placed to redesign the urban landscape. For Alphand, horticulturalists, theorists, and amateurs did not master the rational skills necessary to deploy what he called the “style agreste,” the application of picturesque design principals to the structures and materials necessary for urban parks. Alphand's positivistic vision crashed less than three years later at the collapse of the empire, but he returned as director of public works after the Franco-Prussian war, imposing a team of architect-engineers to deploy his style agreste, securing the continuation of the public park movement and the subsequent greening of Paris during the Belle Epoque.