Botanical Lessons explores nature in the Smithsonian collections through thirteen botanical models on loan from the National Museum of American History, and a selection of illustrated books and periodicals from Smithsonian Libraries, all of which served as teaching aids in a nineteenth-century period marked by a growing interest in science and education.
Model, Ficus carica, 1875–1898, wood, papier-mâché, cardboard, plaster, reed pith, metal, string, feathers, gelatin, glass and bone glue beads, cloth, metallic thread, horsehair, hemp, silk threads, paint, and shellac varnish
The Ficus carica, or fig tree, is native to the Mediterranean and Central Asian regions, and it was one of the first plants cultivated by humankind, growing up to 30 feet. A staple in the diet of ancient Greeks and Romans, the fruit is now consumed around the world either raw, dried, or as a jam.
Bananier, Plate 54, Flore Médicale, 1814.
The author of this publication, François-Pierre Chaumeton, was a French physician and pharmacist who worked as a military doctor at the turn of the 19th century. After his retirement, Chaumeton started writing for medical publications, which led to Flore Médicale, a book that presents a wide range of botanical species for pharmaceutical use. The title however goes beyond its initial scope, and includes flowers and fruits like this banana.
Model, Theobroma cacao, 1875–1898, wood, papier-mâché, cardboard, plaster, reed pith, metal, string, feathers, gelatin, glass and bone glue beads, cloth, metallic thread, horsehair, hemp, silk threads, paint, and shellac varnish.
Plate, Odontoglossum Grande, Paxton’s Magazine Of Botany, And Register Of Flowering Plants, Vol. 8, 1841
Sir Joseph Paxton may be more well known today as the designer of the 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition building in London, but his main occupation at that time was as Head Gardener of Chatsworth House, home to the Dukes of Devonshire since 1549. Paxton was also interested in publishing and landscape and greenhouse design. These passions combined in Paxton’s Magazine of Botany, which was the third title he developed, running from 1834 to 1849. The pages selected here focus on the lavish illustrations that accompanied the detailed texts, which shared the newest developments in botany for amateur and professional gardeners alike.
Model, Rosa canina, 1875–1898, wood, papier-mâché, cardboard, plaster, reed pith, metal, string, feathers, gelatin, glass and bone glue beads, cloth, metallic thread, horsehair, hemp, silk threads, paint, and shellac varnish.
Rosa canina, also known as dog rose, is a thorny climbing plant native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia, characterized by pink or white flowers. Traditionally, syrups were made using the rose hips due to their high concentration in vitamin C. The hairs inside the hips, known to cause irritation, have been an ingredient in itching powder.
Nature by Design is made possible by major support from Amita and Purnendu Chatterjee. Additional support is provided by the Cooper Hewitt Master’s Program Fund.
This chair was made in about 1900 in Catskill, New York, the region that inspired some of America’s greatest landscape painting. In the nineteenth century, artists, writers, and tourists travelled to the Catskills in awe of the falls, mountains, and landscape views, which Frederick Church among others so famously depicted. The rapid development of the...
This rocking chair was made in Indiana, where Amish first settled in the 1840s, and boasts hickory twigs bent to form its symmetrical sides and oak slats evenly arranged to form its seat. The dramatic contours of this chair ensure that it is at once attractive and comfortable. This graceful form is achieved by bending...
At the time of Alphonse Mucha’s birth in present day Czech Republic, the struggle for independence from the Hapsburg Empire was reaching a boiling point. The people in this region had a strong nationalist consciousness and were fighting for greater political and cultural freedom. The heavily political atmosphere in which Mucha grew up continued to...
“Femme à Marguerite” or “Woman with a Daisy” was designed by Alphonse Maria Mucha, a fin-de-siecle artist perhaps most famous for his works on paper. Mucha was born in Moravia in 1860 and died in Czechoslovakia in 1939, however like a majority of his works, this fabric was designed in France around the turn of...
This is a scenic wallpaper designed for your bathroom. Called Sea Beauties, this was lithograph printed in Germany around 1930. The lithograph printing gives it a very soft look, almost like a watercolor, and because it is printed with oils is water resistant. Washable wallpapers as we know them today were not developed until 1934...
This tea set, comprised of a kettle on a stand, coffee pot, tea pot, sugar bowl, and waste bowl, was given to the museum by Mrs. Roswell A. Miller, formerly Margaret Carnegie. The initials “RMA” are engraved on the pieces, signifying the owner of the elaborately decorated set. Margaret and Roswell were married on April...
