Archives: Book Reviews

Anna Parkinson is possibly a descendant of John Parkinson (1567-1650), the apothecary and gardener noted for being the first to write in English about ornamental gardening.  While the ancestral line is uncertain, Anna pursues John’s story with the zeal of a descendant in “Nature’s Alchemist: John Parkinson, Herbalist to Charles I”.

John Parkinson was born in Lancashire in northwest England.  His family were farmers and he and his six siblings learn the importance of wild plants to supplement their diet and to provide for medicine and other needs.  John was also precocious, as he learned to read, write, and speak Latin well.  This was unusual for his social status, as Latin was the language of science and of most printed books.

It is also remarkable his family afforded sending John Parkinson to London to make his career at age 15 – a ten-day journey at the time.  Over the next 40 years, he steadily worked his way into being a skilled apothecary, eventually achieving his royal position as noted in the Anna Parkinson’s sub-title.

As an apothecary, it was necessary for John Parkinson to have a garden.  He developed a site known as the “Long Acre” in central London that became a tourist attraction.  He was enthusiastic in his love of ornamental plants and always eager to try new things.  His greatest passion was for tulips, of which he created 125 new varieties.

This passion in part led to the publication of “Paradisi in Sole: Paradisus Terrestris”, a book primarily of ornamental plants, and especially bulbous plants including tulips.  The Miller Library has a facsimile (titled “A Garden of Pleasant Flowers”) of this work reproduces the 17^th century English – quite readable with a little practice.  The title page features a highly stylized image of the Garden of Eden.  Anna Parkinson wrote about this book: “The most startling feature of the Paradisus was that it was the first English book about plants to be devoted above all to their beauty, making this the key purpose of a garden.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on February 23, 2024

Excerpted from the Spring 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

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 20^th 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 certain 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

The Falkland Islands, or Islas Malvinas, are an isolated archipelago east of South America in the south Atlantic Ocean.  Uninhabited when discovered by European powers in the 1600s, dispute over its control has continued for centuries, including a deadly war between Argentina and Britain as recently as 1982.  The flora is quite isolated, too, with no native trees, and the largest shrubs only reaching seven feet tall.

Elinor Frances Vallentin (1873-1924) was born on West Falkland Island when it was under British control.  One of ten children, she enjoyed horseback riding with her sisters, although they were frustrated by her frequent stops to collect or look at plants.  After marrying botanist Rubert Vallentin in 1904, she moved to England and there studied botanical illustration with Matilda Smith at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Rubert, who had a special interest in marine algae and ferns, and Elinor returned to the Falklands in 1909.   During the next two years, she collected over 900 specimens of flowering plants, fungi, and lichens, all which are now preserved at Kew.  She also drew from life many of the flowering plants and ferns before returning to England.  Her efforts were praised in the 1914 Journal of the Linnean Society, “far as flowering plants and ferns are concerned, the flora of the Falkland Islands may now be said to be thoroughly known.”

Her drawings were also exhibited at a general meeting of the same society and received high praise.  An example is this image of Rubus geoides.  Her intention was to publish an extensive book, but her health declined.  She needed the help of her husband and Smith to publish a modest publication in 1921 titled “Illustrations of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Falkland Islands.”

The plant descriptions in this book were written by Enid Mary Cotton (1889-1956), another botanist associated with Kew.  Like the issues of “Curtis’s Botanical Magazine” published at the time, the 64 illustrations were hand-colored lithographs, even though for most publications that technique had been replaced by color printing fifty years earlier.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023

Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Librarians are often called upon to solve mysteries, and we enjoying hearing the stories of triumphs by our colleagues.  One of my favorites is the story of Mary Gunn (1899-1989), a librarian at the Botanical Research Institute in Pretoria, South Africa.  She had a special interest in the history of botany and botanical illustration.

In the 1930s, she began researching a book in her library’s collection titled “Specimens of the Flora of South Africa by a Lady” and published in England in 1849.  This book included nine plates of colorful, native plants noteworthy for their quality.  The identity of the “Lady” was unknown.

Gunn used her research skills over a period of nearly 20 years to discover the artist was Arabella Elizabeth Roupell (1817-1914), the wife of a British judge who was in Cape Town, South Africa for only two years in the early 1840s.  Having much leisure time, Roupell would ride on horseback to collect plants for painting, often accompanied by a British botanist who later introduced her to William Hooker, the first director of Kew and father of Joseph.

Hooker was very impressed with Roupell’s work that included about 100 paintings.  He promoted the publication of a select few in “Specimens,” but why this was done anonymously is unknown.  The book received high praise at the time, with a copy being given to Queen Victoria.  There were only 110 printed, and those soon became rare collector’s items.

Through Gunn’s exhaustive efforts, she not only discovered this history, but also the location of the original paintings.  With the help of the South African government, they were returned to the University of Cape Town in the 1950s.  “More Cape Flowers by a Lady” was published in 1964 with reproductions of eleven of the original pieces and a text by Allan Bird that included their history.  While the Miller Library does not have the earlier book, we are pleased to have this limited, later publication.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023

Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

“Lilian Snelling (1879-1972) was probably the most important British botanical artist of the first half of the 20^th century.”  This bold statement was made by Brent Elliott, the long-standing Head Librarian and Historian for the Royal Horticultural Society, in an article for that society’s journal “The Garden” in July 2003.

This is especially surprising as very little is known about her until at the age of 36, she became the protégé of Henry John Elwes, a well-known English botanist and dendrologist, using her skills to draw plants from his extensive garden.  At his recommendation, she spent five years at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, honing her skills.  Her precise work from that time is the basis for the 2020 book “Lilian Snelling: the Rhododendron and Primula Drawings” by Henry J. Noltie.

Snelling’s illustrations can also be found in the monograph on the genus Lilium by Elwes.  Although the Miller Library does not have this book, her illustrations have been reproduced in other books on lilies in the collection.  She also produced the exquisite color plates and drawings for “A Study of the Genus Paeonia” by Frederick Claude Stern (1946), including this illustration of Paeonia tenuifolia.

Snelling was appointed as an artist for “Curtis’s Botanical Magazine” and for 30 years was the principal artist.  She also was a skilled lithographer, being able to transfer her work and those of others to zinc plates for reproduction.  Upon her retirement, the November 1952 volume of “Curtis’s” was dedicated to her.  The dedication describes how she “with remarkable delicacy of accurate outlines, brilliancy of colour, and intricate gradation of tone has faithfully portrayed most of the plants figured in this magazine from 1922 to 1952.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023

Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

“Lilian Snelling (1879-1972) was probably the most important British botanical artist of the first half of the 20^th century.”  This bold statement was made by Brent Elliott, the long-standing Head Librarian and Historian for the Royal Horticultural Society, in an article for that society’s journal “The Garden” in July 2003.

This is especially surprising as very little is known about her until at the age of 36, she became the protégé of Henry John Elwes, a well-known English botanist and dendrologist, using her skills to draw plants from his extensive garden.  At his recommendation, she spent five years at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, honing her skills.  Her precise work from that time is the basis for the 2020 book “Lilian Snelling: the Rhododendron and Primula Drawings” by Henry J. Noltie.

Snelling’s illustrations can also be found in the monograph on the genus Lilium by Elwes.  Although the Miller Library does not have this book, her illustrations have been reproduced in other books on lilies in the collection.  She also produced the exquisite color plates and drawings for “A Study of the Genus Paeonia” by Frederick Claude Stern (1946).

Snelling was appointed as an artist for “Curtis’s Botanical Magazine” and for 30 years was the principal artist.  She also was a skilled lithographer, being able to transfer her work and those of others to zinc plates for reproduction.  Upon her retirement, the November 1952 volume of “Curtis’s” was dedicated to her.  The dedication describes how she “with remarkable delicacy of accurate outlines, brilliancy of colour, and intricate gradation of tone has faithfully portrayed most of the plants figured in this magazine from 1922 to 1952.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023

Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Matilda Smith (1854-1926) did not have art training as a child, but she developed a keen interest in plants.  It was helpful for this pursuit to be part of a botanically oriented family, including her second cousin Joseph Hooker, who was the second director of Kew Gardens.

Smith became good friends with Hooker, who was a skilled illustrator, and he both tutored and encouraged her in learning this skill.  He recommended she submit drawings to “Curtis’s Botanical Magazine.”  This long-running periodical, started in 1787 and still published today, profiles new plant discoveries for both botanists and gardeners.  This encouragement was well-placed as over the next 42 years, she contributed 2,300 drawings to this celebrated publication.

Hooker was also the editor of “Icones Plantarum,” another extensive publication of 40 volumes depicting plants drawn from herbarium specimens held by Kew.  Smith was skilled at recreating the appearance of living plants despite the limitations of a dried, flattened subject and contributed 1,500 images to this publication.  Although completed over 100 years ago, a facsimile copy in the Miller Library is still consulted on a regular basis by researchers.

Smith’s work included some of the first images in European science of the flora of New Zealand including this fern, Todea superba.  Late in her career, she was the illustrator for “Illustrations of the New Zealand Flora” edited by Thomas Frederick Cheeseman, published in 1914.  In his preface, the editor writes, “altogether, nearly five thousand of her drawings have actually appeared in various well-known publications.  I think that all capable judges will agree with me in saying that the plates contained in these volumes will enhance her already well-earned reputation.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023

Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

The Panakanic Prairie is a vernally moist meadow amongst the coniferous forests north of White Salmon, Washington that turns blue each May with the flowers of camas (Camassia quamash).  It has a rich human history, including that of the Klickitat people.  From the 1880s through much of the 20^th century, it was the home and ranch of the Markgraf family.

Joy Markgraf has gathered the stories of this special place and published them in “Panakanic: An Oral and Natural History Since 1878”.  In addition to the history, her interests are primarily to protect the animals, plants, and fungi that have outlasted the mostly abandoned settlements.  She includes a detailed appendices of observed species, some with her own illustrations.  Her reasons for these efforts?  “Special wild places need to be protected so we can experience the wonders and spirit they embody.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Molly Hashimoto is a good friend of the Miller Library, having exhibited in our space for many years, typically each November and December.  Her books are a blend of engaging watercolors and block prints, while the text educates the reader about both art techniques and the subjects of the illustrations.

Her most recent book is “Trees of the West: An Artist’s Guide,” an exploration of all the trees native to the United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast.  By dividing her chapters into the nine biogeographical regions, the trees that typically associate with each other are grouped together.

Each entry includes a species description, but not in the typical, formulaic terminology of a field guide.  Instead, this is an artist’s interpretation of appearance, often done by describing a notable individual tree in an evocative location.  There are basic facts like range and ethnobotanical uses, but these are intermixed with essays, travel journal excerpts, poetry, and brief profiles of artists, biologists, and naturalists.

I was especially engaged by complimentary images of a row of tall western redcedars (Thuja plicata), all that sprung up from the same nurse log.  On the left page they are depicted in watercolor.  On the right, by a tinted woodblock print.  Located in the North Cascades National Park, the artist has visited these trees many times.  Her description of their near destruction by a 2015 forest fire makes this an especially personal account.

“Once you begin keeping sketchbooks or journals, you realize the importance of recording experiences and ideas—it is a very personal endeavor, but it is one that makes you a more thoughtful participant in the landscapes you venture to see.”  This past May, the Council of Botanical and Horticultural Libraries recognized the quality of this book with an Award of Excellence for Botanical Art and Illustration.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

After an especially difficult period in her life, Seattle gardener, author, and artist Lorene Edwards Forkner began a daily, meditative practice.  She would pick something from her garden and using watercolors, paint a 3×3 pattern of distinct color squares, trying to capture each of the colors she saw in the subject.

One of the earliest examples was a balm for grief after the death of her father.  The source was a sprig of flowers from Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’.  Six of the colors were various shades of pink to capture the subtle shadings of the flowers.  Two of the swatches were in greens to represent the leaves, the final in brown for the stem.

A collection of the resulting small paintings from this praxis is found in Forkner’s book, “Color In and Out of the Garden.”  The purpose of publishing such a book?  “In sharing the following collection of color studies and observations, my rainbow playground, I hope to open your eyes and deepen your compassion for beauty in the natural world.”

Each painting is overlaid with the garden subject from which they are drawn.  On the opposite page is an essay that may expound on the featured plant or color, recall a recipe, or evoke an historical reflection.

Each chapter introduces a spoke of the color wheel with a selection of synonyms or terms that are near matches.  For example, different shades of red might be described as scarlet or cerise, while shades of green include sage, olive, and celadon.  You can have a lot of fun adding to the list, and I think that would please the author.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023.

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin