Your CartSpring is not quite here yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring the beauty of nature inside! One beautiful way to do so is by displaying antique botanical prints. Today I’m sharing botanical prints that were drawn and painted by women artists.
I am always thrilled to be able to obtain beautiful botanical prints at auction from England and France for my collection, and yours.
Drawn with meticulous attention to detail, and often hand colored, antique botanical prints provide a connection to the garden to cherish in these cold winter months.
The perfect way for any new collector to begin collecting art, antique botanical prints are so well priced, and they look beautiful framed. Most of the prints that I find were first meticulously drawn by hand, with much attention to detail, by women, then copied to a “stone” by another artist before printing in the mid to late 1800’s.
Women have created stunning botanical studies, or art, since at least the 1700’s, but their work has mostly been ignored. It wasn’t until 1996 {!!} that the first major study of women botanical artists was published. Entitled Women of Flowers: A Tribute to Victorian Women Illustrators by Jack Kramer, it is a huge shame that these artists never received the respect they so deserved.
Women contributed to many important horticultural journals including Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, The Pomological Magazine, and the Proceedings of the Royal Horticultural Society, although most of their work was published for the enjoyment of ladies in the 1800’s, early 1900’s. {And obviously, ladies and gentlemen in the 21st century, if I see how quickly you snap up these beauties for your home decor.}
Right now, we have botanical prints by two major women artists available. I’d like to introduce these talented ladies to you today.
Anne Pratt Wooster was born in Kent, England on the 5th of December in 1806. Her father was a grocer, and together with her two sisters and mother, Anne led a quiet life. Because she had a bad knee and was “delicate”, Anne was encouraged to occupy herself by drawing while her sisters played outdoors.
A family friend, Dr. Dods, introduced her to botany, and the rest, really, is history. After moving to London, Anne developed a career as an illustrator. She became one of the most well-known Victorian era English botanical illustrators, and as you can see, her talent was immense.
She wrote more than twenty books, which she illustrated with chromolithographs. She is credited with partially creating the popularity of botany in her era. Sadly, she never really received the credit and respect she deserved, as her work was looked down on because she was “self taught” and only a woman.
Her most popular work was Wild Flowers, it was published in 1852. Large, illustrated prints from this book were published for schools all over England.
Her books were important, it spread the love and knowledge of botany. She was given a grant from the civil list and in 1855, her Flowering Plants and Ferns of Great Britain, illustrated with coloured block printed plates was printed. It was quite expensive, because it is an exhaustive history of all British plant species, but nearly every wealthy society family had one in their drawing room.
{I’m cheering loudly for Anne, aren’t you?!}
Jane Loudon was born in 1807, she is another one of the most successful and talented female botanical illustrators whose work had mixed reviews in her day. Luckily, her art is highly regarded now. {yay, Jane!}
Jane was to Victorian gardening what Mrs Beeton was to cooking.
Her beautifully illustrated books on gardening and plant identification were bought by thousands of women all over England, and it encouraged them to take up gardening as a hobby.
Jane started her writing career with a fiction book, The Mummy, Tales from the Twenty-Second Century, a futuristic look at possible improvements to living in Britain. Her steam plough idea in the book caught the attention of John Loudon, a horticultural publisher and writer. Within seven months, after a whirl wind courtship, Jane and John married, and they began working together on his books and in their garden.
{It really IS true that flowers are romantic! sorry…couldn’t help myself.}
Jane, by her own admission, knew absolutely nothing about gardening or botany. But she was a quick study, and with the help of her expert husband she soon became a very capable gardener.
She decided that a gardening book that “regular” people could understand was needed, and wrote a gardening book for ladies. Her book Instructions in Gardening for Ladies was published in 1840. It was written in an easy to follow style, and sold more than 200,000 copies.
A self taught artist, Jane began to illustrate her own books, with beautiful floral illustrations. Most of these prints are hand colored.
Her influence on gardening really is difficult to describe, as the made gardening popular by making it accessible to everyone. She made gardening and botany an enthusiastically popular hobby all over England. Her work is exhibited in many museums, including The National Art Library’s Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
I hope that you are as enthusiastic about the gorgeous botanical art prints these two women artists created as I am.
I have a collection of these beauties available at FrenchGardenHouse right in time for Spring. I’ve been able to offer many of them in a set of four complementary prints at a very agreeable price. {Because I was able to obtain them in England at an amazing price.}
These look amazing framed, and make an enticing wall display in your home.
SHOP ANTIQUE BOTANICAL PRINTS >
See you next time! Looking forward to SPRING with all of you!
Fabulous, Lidy! Thank you celebrating women in flowers in your latest acquisitions with us! I love learning, especially in subjects of interest.
Rita, that’s the most exciting part of selling antiques, isn’t it? Learning the history of each beautiful object, and the people who created and loved them!
Lidy, this is such a beautiful and informative post. These women deserve so much praise for their talent and contributions. I adore botanical prints, and I am going to hop over to your shop to see your collection. Enjoy your day, sweet friend!!!
Thank you Shannon. I agree, these women artists deserve all the praise…I know they truly loved what they were creating, and it shows, doesn’t it?
What a great talent she had! Thank you for sharing her story and most gorgeous botanical prints!
Ginger, I love the stories about the people who created, bought and loved our antiques most!
Stunning works! I’ve always preferred water color or chalk over oil. Beautiful!
Thank you Mary, these ladies were so talented, weren’t they? And watercolor is one of my favorites too!
Thank you so much Lidy for sharing this beautiful post. We are so blessed as women to be living in a day and time that we can be recognized for our achievements. I am truly grateful for our forerunners that lead the way for us. It’s so wonderful that we can enjoy what they did now and learn from them. I have such a love for the arts and know just how much time and hard work goes into each and every project. 2 ft. of snow was dumped on my home this past weekend, it was very beautiful but I am looking so forward to spring. It’s my New Year! lol
xoxo Jo
Joanne, I couldn’t agree with you more,me are blessed to be living today, when women, in our society, at least, have gained huge steps in equality. Hoping spring comes soon, Jo!
Thank you so much for sharing this post. The botanical prints are just beautiful. These great women had such talent and have made our world a much prettier world to live in.
Jackie, that is such a great way to say it, these women HAVE made our world so much prettier! {It’s what my vision was when I started FrenchGardenHouse Antiques, and still my goal.}
Oh my goodness…this post is truly stunning…amazing…and I am cheering loudly for Anne and Jane…I am sending this post to my Sweetie, the budding artist…thank you for all of the glorious beauty today Lidy!!! This makes me want to have an entire wall of botanicals!!!
I am always a little sad for all the women of the past who were so talented yet not recognized as such in history. There were so many women botanical artists in the 1800’s, and their work is exemplary. They truly created magic with a pencil, ink and water colors, didn’t they? I hope your sweetie enjoys the post, Shirley…she is so talented.
I love botanical prints, Lidy and think they make the most beautiful galley wall. So interesting learning about these two talented ladies! Happy Wednesday!
Thank you so much. They do make a beautiful gallery wall, and that they were created by these extraordinary women artists make them ever so more special!
Beautiful and amazing lady Thank you for sharing
Hello Lidy, I am impressed to see the collection so beautiful and extensive that you show us here. It is impressive the work that the woman has developed in her time without these moments have not transcended and has only been considered as an “entertainment for women who do not know how to do anything else”.
Apart from the beauty of the works, I must emphasize the perfect elaboration of these works of art and the exquisite taste when they are made.
I congratulate you for showing such beauty, greetings
Dolores
Dolores, I agree with you, it is exciting to see that the art these women created was finally deemed works to be honored and portrayed in museums as such. The talent they had was greatly under rated. Now, we all recognize their work for the beauties that they are!