Album of pressed plant, flower, and seaweed specimens.
Published / Created:
1856-1863.
Physical Description:
1 volume (31 leaves) ; 24 cm
Holdings:
Rare Books and Manuscripts QK61.C76 A5 1856+ Oversize Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Fund
Copyright Status:
Copyright Undetermined
Related Content:
View a selection of digital images in the Yale Center for British Art's online catalogue
https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3759606
Classification:
Archives & Manuscripts
Notes:
Bound in contemporary half calf and marbled boards.Of green leaf, bird, and flower: artists' books and the natural world, p. 61Album of pressed plant, flower, seaweed specimens collected in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Crimea, from 1856 to 1863. An inscription accompanying the first leaf notes a contribution from Richard William B. Crowther, but it is unclear if the album is compiled by him or by a member of his family or acquaintances. The majority of specimens are affixed to the page under small paper strips, most of which bear inscriptions (in pen and black ink) noting the location where the plant was found. Few of the specimens are identified; those that are identified are described with their common names. In addition to a variety of flowers, there are species of ferns, mosses, grasses, wort plants, mosses, and seaweeds. About half of the specimens are arranged in bouquet-like bundles.Leaf 1 bears a mixture of light greenery, mosses, and flowers, assembled in the form of a wreath. The facing page is inscribed: "Flowers picked up in the Crimea 1856, at Inkerman, Balaklava, Valley of Death, North Side, trenches ... by R.W.B Crowther, 63rd Regiment." The 63rd Regiment took part in the Battle of Inkerman in November 1854, and the flowers were presumably collected by the soldier returning to visit old battle sites.Leaves 2-8 bear specimens from a wide range of locations in England, collected from July to October 1857. Leaves 9-15 comprise specimens collected during travels in Ireland, from November 1857 to January 1859. The remaining leaves include additional specimens from England and Wales, from 1859 to 1863, with a brief interlude (leaves 21-22) of specimens collected during a trip to the Low Countries in 1861. The final two leaves bear much later additions: dated 1967, a magnolia leaf, from "The Groase House," Kingsland, Hertsfordshire; and on Sept. 24, 1977, from the same location, "a rose from the wedding bouquet."
Exhibition History:
"Of Green Leaf, Bird, and Flower" : Artists' Books and the Natural World (Yale Center for British Art, May 15, 2014-August 10, 2014)
Subject Terms:
Crowther, Richard William B. | Pressed flower pictures. | Botanical specimens -- Collection and preservation -- Great Britain. | Botanical specimens -- Great Britain. | Botanical specimens -- Ireland. | Flowers -- Collection and preservation -- Great Britain. | Flowers -- Great Britain. | Marine algae -- Great Britain. | Marine algae -- Ireland. | Crimean War, 1853–1856.
Form/Genre:
Herbaria. | Albums (books) | Botanical illustrations.
