later landscape architects like william gilpin would opine that brown's 'natural curves' were as artificial as the straight lines that were common in french gardens. brown's portrait by nathaniel dance, c. 1773, is conserved in the national portrait gallery, london. his work has often been favourably compared and contrasted ("the antithesis") to the œuvre of andré le nôtre, the french "jardin à la française" landscape architect. he became both "rich and honoured and had 'improved' a greater acreage of ground than any landscape architect" who preceded him.