Eight hundred oil paintings on cardboard were unveiled at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in 1882, representing two decades of global travel and botanical documentation by Marianne North. This collection transformed the understanding of exotic flora, providing a permanent visual record of plant life across multiple continents before photography emerged as a primary scientific tool.
Early Influences and Artistic Transition
Born in Hastings in 1831 to a prominent land-owning family, North initially pursued vocal training under Charlotte Helen Sainton-Dolby. Following the failure of her voice and the death of her mother in 1855, she turned her attention to painting flowers. Her father, Frederick North, a Member of Parliament for Hastings, introduced her to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, the director of Kew Gardens. This connection fostered her early botanical interests, leading her to create her first watercolour landscapes during European travels with her family.
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After her father died in 1869, North committed herself to painting flora in distant regions. Her travels were extensive, covering North America, Jamaica, and a year-long stay in Brazil, where she worked from a forest hut. In 1875, she began a two-year circumnavigation of the globe, documenting environments in California, Japan, Borneo, Java, and Ceylon. She expressed particular concern regarding the destruction of redwood forests in California. In 1878, she dedicated an entire year to documenting the plant life of India.
The Kew Gallery and Later Work
Upon returning to Britain, North curated an exhibition of 512 oil paintings at Kensington. She eventually gifted her entire collection to Kew Gardens and funded the construction of a gallery designed by James Fergusson. At the suggestion of Charles Darwin, she journeyed to Australia and New Zealand in 1880, bringing back botanical specimens. Despite declining health in her later years, she continued to work in the Seychelles and Chile. She eventually retired to Alderley in Gloucestershire, where she died in 1890.
Fast facts
- Born: 1831, Hastings
- Died: 1890, Alderley
- Field: Botanical illustration
- Key venue: Marianne North Gallery, Kew
- International work: Japan, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, India, Jamaica, Seychelles, Java
- Burial site: Gloucestershire
Questions readers ask
What is the significance of the Marianne North Gallery?
It remains the only permanent solo exhibition by a female artist in Britain, housing hundreds of her oil paintings.
Which plant species bear her name?
Species including Areca northiana, Chassalia northiana, Crinum northianum, Kniphofia northiae, and Nepenthes northiana are named in her honour.
Achievements
- Notable work: Marianne North Gallery
