Kew Gardens has been on my bucket list for a long long time. I went there multiple times as a child growing up in London, but never as a plant-loving adult. Over the years it has reached pilgrimage status, the plant diversity, the massive glass palm house built in the 1844, the Millennial Seed Bank which houses over 97,000 seed collections, represents nearly 40,000 species, over 6,100 genera and 350 families! Also Kew is home of the Shirley Shirwood Collection of Botanical Art which I have recently been infatuated by (this will be covered in a upcoming post).
But there was one big unexpected surprise to be had when finally visiting Kew this past August, one which I may have missed had I not received an email from Botanical Artist Beverly Duncan the day before I left home* (read about Beverlys work here) She wrote
“When at Kew, maybe first thing, visit the Marianne North exhibit hall, its own little building. Amazing prolific work, not all to my preference, but you have to admire her work!”
Wow! No words just a question (ok two).
Why isn’t Marianne North a household name?
And, why isn’t there a commemorative postal stamp with her face/name on it, like there is for Kew Gardens? I think coming across her and her work has changed the course of my life (more on this later)
If you google “who was Marianne North”? You will learn she was a Victorian plant and landscape painter, a biologist, traveller and a writer, but none of this really tells you what a pioneer she was! She defyied so many Victorian conventions, and left behind an extraordinary legacy, and a gallery of over 800 paintings (the North Gallery at Kew gardens) which to this day, remains the only permanent solo exhibition by a woman in Great Britain.
Long before the modern environmental movement, and a century before Rachel Carson cautioned that “the real wealth of the Nation lies in the resources of the earth — soil, water, forests, minerals, and wildlife,” Marianne North lamented to see the quarrying and chemicalizing of nature, as far back as 1875 the redwood forests were in danger of extinction, and “It broke one’s heart to think of man, the civiliser, wasting treasures in a few years to which savages and animals had done no harm for centuries”
And like Rachel Carson and her “sense of wonder” Marianne North wrote in her autobiography “Every day’s ramble showed me fresh wonders,” in what may be the single best summation of her life, and of any life well lived.
Born into a wealthy family in Hastings, England, traveling was a large part of her childhood, and her love of traveling begun early in life. She was mostly homeschooled so that the family could spend extended stays in Europe. Surprisingly art or biology were not Mariannes first loves music was, singing and playing the piano. At 26 years old, Marianne North visited KEW GARDENS with her father on a trip that was to inspire her life-long fascination with far-flung plants and flowers. When Mariannes mother died she devoted herself to caring for her father.
She hated the idea of marriage; she sent one suitor packing, telling him to close the door behind him. Marriage, she wrote to a friend, ‘is a terrible experiment... men have a romantic idea of companionship in their wife then discover they have no ideas in common... I pity the poor wife too when she finds herself a sort of upper servant to be scolded if the pickles are not right.’
In 1868 she received a formal painting lesson from an Australian master and her world blew open. Sadly, only a year after this creative awakening, Marianne’s father died in his sleep, leaving her overcome by a profound existential loneliness, the greatest loss of her life. She felt as though she had been left entirely alone in the world. This grief lasted a lifetime “I have no love to give you or anyone — it is all gone with him,” she would tell a suitor years later.
Like her contemporary Ernst Haeckel (zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist!) who coined the word “ecology”who turned his personal tragedy into an art and science legacy, Marianne leaned on the only thing she knew — “nature’s steadfast beauty and the fragile, tenacious wonder of plants”. She left Hastings for good and set off on a series of trips to some of the world's most remote jungles and forests and — wonder became her primary relationship.
She turned her back on the life expected of her as a Victorian woman. Instead, she made it her mission to paint as many plants in faraway places as she could. All this was accomplished while traveling alone in Victorian dress with a burdensome trunk!
At a time when women were severely restricted by rules of proper behavior, Marianne North seemed irrepressible and singular. She traveled around the world twice – “unaccompanied” by male protectors or anyone else for that matter. Laurie Lawlor (author)
Between 1871 and 1885 Marianne North painted over 800 paintings while visiting 17 countries on 6 continents in 14 years -
North and Central America: the USA, Canada, Jamaica and the Caribbean,
South America - Brazil and Chile.
Europe - Tenerife
Asia - Japan, Singapore, Sarawak, Java, Sri Lanka, India,
Australasia - Australia, New Zealand,
Africa - South Africa and the Seychelles
Her last trip was in 1884–5 to Chile to paint Araucarias (Monkey -PuzzleTrees) and here she completed her last painting journey. She then wrote her autobiography Recollection and Further Recollection of a Happy Life: being the Autobiography of Marianne North between 1886-1888 and died on Aug. 30, 1890 at 59 (attributed to liver disease) at Alderley, Gloucestershire, England.
Marianne didn't follow the traditional approach to botanical art and thus was not really accepted by the Botanical Art community of her times. She was an outsider. Botanical art in Victorian times were painting in watercolour on light backgrounds to depict the colour of plants in a life-like way. She used oil paints which gave her paintings more vibrancy and impact. She also painted plants within their natural settings, sometimes including animals, temples and people in her paintings. Still Marianne's paintings and writing give detailed information on the location, habitat and uses of many of the plants she painted. On her travels, she collected and discovered plants that were new to botanical science at the time. Enchanted by her work, Francis Galton and Charles Darwin came to see her as a peer and soon became close friends. Charles Darwin encouraged her to see Australia and she showed him her paintings of that country before he died in 1882. .
Autobiographical note: I have worn many hats in my life, between wearing the Tennis coach visor and the Herbalists sunhat I wore an outdoor adventurers beanie, a travelers cap. I led trips to Kenya and the Pine Ridge Revervation and went on a Nols Semester trip to Patagonia, my college degree is actually in outdoor education and my minor in art therapy. For many years I read and researched women explorers Nellie Bly, Fanny Bullock Workman and Isabella Bird were some of my sherds. Since discovering Marianne North I feel like I have come full circle, adventure, plants and art, and have a crazy dream, I want to retrace the steps of Maryanne North by doing so highlight her life in plants and show the world what an intrepid pioneer Marianne was. I have an accomplice! and now the grant writing begins. Stay tuned. . .
Towards the end of her life Marianne wrote a letter to Sir Joseph Hooker, who succeeded his father at Kew, proposing to donate her paintings and build a gallery for them. When the Marianne North Gallery opened, at a cost to herself of £2,000 [around £900,000 today]. Apparently Hooker refused to sell refreshments at the opening – so Marianne sneakily painted coffee and tea plants over the doors- that may be my favorite Marianne story so far!
Walking into the gallery the first thing I noticed on straight in front of me was the Sacred Plants of the Hindus sign so I walked towards that doorway and right away was drawn to the Holy Basil- one of my main plant allies. In the official guide to the North Gallery Marianne North recorded “ that the root is made into beads, which are worn around the neck and arms” as well as several uses of the plant medicinally and spiritually. (next weeks post will be all about Holy Basil)
Although she only spent a few month of her life in school her contribution to science is not insignificant. A number of plant species are named in her honor, including Areca northiana, Crinum northianum, Kniphofia northiana, Nepenthes northiana, and the genus name Northia
As always I like to also introduce a contemporary artist to my readers, one who works at the intersection of art and herbalism.
Anyone who has walked into my house will recognize this little corner
Mugwort was my first herbal ally ever, sacred to Artemis who was my goddess archetype for many years, until Hestia and Hekate started challenging her for my loyalty! The Mugwort print is an important piece to me as it’s also the first piece of original art I ever bought and it was by this weeks featured artist
Katherine Yvinskas
Many moons have come and gone since I met Katherine, I was still a fledgling herbalist, we spent time at many an herbal conference between 1993-2007, or Neha meetings. She often sold her cards and prints and helped herbal Elder Agnes Adler sell her infamous pomegranate elixir- but that elixir deserves a post of its own!
“My life as an artist, gardener and herbalist is a circle of inspiring happenings and inspiration. For me, one feeds the other and that is my journey.
In many ways, my garden is an ongoing living sculpture of plants encouraging the wild world to partake in its beauty, food and shelter.
Artistically, I have had the pleasure of being involved with a cooperative gallery since 2006 in Blairstown, New Jersey. Gallery 23 has been around for 22 years and I have served as gallery director for the past 12 years. The gallery has grown and we currently have 31 artists with styles ranging from painting, prints, photography, pottery, jewelry, fibers, wood and basketry.”
Please enjoy my conversation with Katherine
Here is Katherine’s Pitcher Plant from her native and medicinal series, thought I’d post it as I also posted Marianne’s Pitcher plant above.
Remember the future is botanical…If plant life stops, all life stops! which is why it is so important to support herbal apprentice program!
News and updates:
We are launched! the Blazing Forward: Celebrating 25 years of Community Herbalism Fundraiser
New!!! Beverly Duncan Book The Milkweed Lands An Epic Story of One Plant: Its Nature and Ecology By Eric Lee-Mäder. Illustrated by Beverly Duncan
The Zea Mays 2023 Print Exhibition and Sale is up at the Stanford Gallery and online, I am thrilled to have 4 photopolymer intaglio prints for sale for the first time ever! and in such good company over 200 prints from members of the Zea Mays Community
I’d heard about Marianne North only recently, how wonderful to read your post this morning! (Kew is on my bucket list; a bit of a trip from Canada tho)