On my office wall at the Miller Library is a framed poster titled “Mackintosh Flowers” from the Hunterian Art Gallery at the University of Glasgow. The four images of wildflowers are typically attributed only to Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928), but the signatures have two sets of initials, the other being MMM for his wife, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (1864-1933). Art historians disagree on the significance of the dual signatures, and on Margaret’s contribution to the works, but suffice to say these botanical illustrations are lovely examples of style evoking the turn of the 20th century.
These remind me of the work of Harriet Isabel Adams, a less well-known botanical artist of the same time. So unknown that there are widely differing accounts on her birth and death dates, but recent research places those at 1853-1937. It is generally agreed she studied at the Birmingham School of Art. It is certa
in that her scientific vigor was recognized when she was accepted as a Fellow in the Linnaean Society of London in 1906, a prestigious group of botanical scientists that require a two-thirds approval of membership to be accepted.
However, praise for her work was not universal. Her style of presentation, developed from the Arts and Crafts movement, was not in the tradition of scientific illustration. She typically included several plants from the same family in each painting, artfully arranged and labeled. Critics agreed her works were beautiful, but dismissive of their contribution to scientific knowledge. Here is her painting of Famille Des Géraniacées.
Adams is most well-known for “Wild Flowers of the British Isles”, published in two volumes. The Miller Library does not have these, but instead her book on French wildflowers “Fleurs sauvages de France.” Published in 1910, it presents species common to both countries and uses many of the illustrations of her British book, but labeled with French common names. The text in French was not a translation but instead written anew by Henri Coupin (1868-1937), a Parisian botanist noted for his ability to exhort enthusiasm for the natural sciences.
Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023
Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin