BOTANICAL ART & ARTISTS
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    • What is Botanical Art?
    • What is Botanical Illustration?
    • Botanical Art History Books >
      • The Art of Botanical Illustration (Blunt)
      • Book Review: Treasures of Botanical Art
    • Herbals
    • Florilegia and Flora
    • Patrons of Botanical Art >
      • About Leonhart Fuchs
      • About Basilius Besler
    • Past Masters - Botanical Art and Illustration >
      • About Maria Sibylla Merian
      • About Elizabeth Blackwell
      • About Georg Dionysius Ehret
      • About Franz Bauer
      • About Sydney Parkinson
      • About Pierre-Joseph Redouté
      • About Marianne North
    • Famous Asian Botanical Artists (600-1900)
    • 20th & 21st Century Botanical Artists >
      • About Arthur Harry Church
      • About Margaret Mee
      • About Mary Grierson
      • About Raymond Booth
      • About Rory McEwen
      • About Pandora Sellars
    • Botanical Photographers
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    • Botanical Artists in the UK
    • Botanical Artists in North America
    • Botanical Artists in Europe
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    • Botanical Artists in Africa
    • Botanical Artists in Latin America
    • Botanical Printmakers, Photographers, Sculptors et al
    • The Jill Smythies Award
    • Botanical Artists on Facebook
    • Botanical Art Blogs
  • Exhibitions
    • Calls for Entries - OPEN exhibitions
    • Online Exhibitions >
      • ARCHIVE: Online Botanical Art Exhibitions
    • RHS Botanical Art & Photography Shows >
      • ARCHIVE RHS Botanical Art Shows 2007-2024
      • Exhibit Titles at RHS Botanical Art Shows
      • RHS Portfolio Photography (Botanical / Horticultural)
    • The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art >
      • ARCHIVE: Shirley Sherwood Gallery Exhibitions
    • Hunt International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration
    • UK >
      • Permanent Collections (UK)
      • Botanical Art Exhibitions at Major UK Galleries & Museums >
        • ARCHIVE: Major Gallery Exhibitions
      • Botanical Art Exhibitions in England and Wales >
        • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in the UK
        • ARCHIVE: Reviews of Annual Exhibitions by the Society of Botanical Artists
      • Botanical Art Exhibitions in Scotland >
        • ARCHIVE: Scotland - Botanical Art Exhibitions
    • North America >
      • Permanent Collections (USA)
      • ARCHIVE Past ASBA Exhibitions in the USA
      • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in the USA
      • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Canada
    • Europe >
      • Permanent Collections (Europe)
      • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Europe
      • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Exhibitions in Germany
      • ARCHIVE: ​Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Ireland
      • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Exhibitions in Russia
    • Australasia >
      • Margaret Flockton Award
      • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Australasia
    • Asia >
      • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Asia
    • Africa
    • ARCHIVE: World Wide Exhibition of Botanical Art 2018
  • Education
    • NEW BOOKS about Botanical Art and Illustration >
      • NEW in 2020: Books about Botanical Art & Illustration
      • NEW IN 2019: Books about Botanical Art & Illustration
      • NEW in 2018: Books about Botanical Art & Illustration
    • Best Botanical Art Instruction Books >
      • Best Instruction Books by Botanical Art Societies >
        • The Art of Botanical Painting - review
        • The Botanical Palette - review
        • Botanical Sketchbook - review
      • Best Instruction Books about Botanical Illustration >
        • Botanical Illustration - Books by Bobbi Angell
        • Botanical Illustration (Oxley) - review
      • Best Instruction Books by top Artists / Teachers >
        • Books By Billy Showell
        • Books - the Eden Project
      • Best Botanical Drawing Instruction Books (Pencils) >
        • Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils - review
      • e-Booklets / digital guides
    • Tips and Techniques >
      • Tips from RHS Gold Medal Winners
      • Preparation and set-up
      • Botanical Sketching and Sketchbooks
      • Design and composition
      • Colour
      • Pen and Ink
      • How to draw and paint trees and leaves
    • Botanical Art Video Tips >
      • Video Tips: Watercolour Painting
      • Video Tips Coloured Pencils
      • Video Tips: Pencil drawing
      • Video Tips: Painting Flowers
      • Video Tips: Painting Leaves & Trees
    • Online Botanical Art Instruction >
      • CHECKLIST: FAQS about Online Learning
      • ONLINE TIMELINE
    • International Directory: Botanical Art Teachers
    • International Directory of Botanical Art Courses >
      • UK: Botanical Art Courses
      • North America: Botanical Art Courses
      • Europe: Botanical Art Courses & Holidays
      • Australasia: Botanical Art Courses
    • Artist Residencies, Scholarships and Bursaries
    • Diplomas and Certificates >
      • SBA Diploma Assignments
    • Distance Learning Courses
    • Talks, Lectures & Tours
    • Botanical Education on Facebook
  • Materials
    • Paper
    • Vellum
  • Groups
    • National & Regional Botanical Art Societies
    • Florilegium Societies & Other Groups
    • Finnis Scott Foundation: Botanical Art Prize
    • Botanical Art Groups on Facebook
  • Botany
    • Why botany matters to artists
    • Botany Books for artists >
      • Botany for the Artist (Simblet)
      • The Art of Plant Evolution
      • The Concise British Flora in Colour (1965)
    • Scientific botanical illustration
    • Plant Forms and Anatomy
    • Plant Evolution and Taxonomy
    • Plant Names and Botanical Latin
    • Botanical Dictionaries
    • How to Identify Plants
    • Recording a Plant / Sketchbooks >
      • Plant Pressing for your own Herbarium
    • Botanic Gardens & Herbaria >
      • Global and National Networks
      • Herbaria, Seed Banks and Fungaria
      • Old Botanic & Physic Gardens in London
      • Botanic Gardens in the UK
      • Botanic Gardens in Ireland
      • Botanic Gardens in Europe
      • Botanic Gardens in the USA
      • Botanic Gardens in Canada
      • Botanic Gardens in Asia
      • Botanic Gardens in Australia
    • Blogs about Plants and Flowers
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Botanical Art Collections
​in the USA

This page provide links to where you can find an archive in the USA of botanical art and illustrations
in the permanent collections of:
  • Museums, 
  • Libraries, 
  • Botanical gardens in the USA 
  • Private collections of botanical art collectors.
Many museums have no botanical art collection as such.

However what they do have is artwork by specific artists who painted plants and flowers - such as this painting by Redoute in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

It's always worth checking out any favourite artists to see if you can find a listing.
Heliocereus Speciosus by Pierre-Joseph Redouté
A Flowering Cactus: Heliocereus Speciosus by Pierre-Joseph Redouté. Watercolor on vellum (1831) Location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Libraries in the USA

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University

The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation opened in 1961. It promotes the history of botany through its collections, research, exhibitions, publications, and services.

The Hunt Institute was founded as a library focused around the collection created by Rachel Hunt. Between 1730 to 1840 she collected over 1,300 botanical watercolors, drawings and prints. The Art Collection has since grown to include 29,504 items.

Exhibitions are open to the public free of charge and are held in the 5th floor Gallery of the Hunt Library building at Carnegie Mellon University.

MAILING ADDRESS: Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, 
Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
STREET ADDRESS: 4909 Frew Street, 5th Floor, Hunt Library


REFERENCES:
  • Catalogue of the Botanical Art Collection at the Hunt Institute database - This contains all the paintings added to the Hunt Institute Collection
  • Catalogue of the Botanical Art Collection at the Hunt Institute: Public Domain Images
  • Hunt Institute: Georg Dionys Ehret Botanical artist Georg Dionys Ehret Collection at Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.
  • Hunt Institute: Margaret Mee Botanical artist Margaret Mee interview broadcast in November 1988 on The MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour.
  • Frederick Walpole Collection - The Art Department has 805 mostly pencil and ink drawings and watercolors by Frederick Andrews Walpole (1861–1904) on indefinite loan from the Smithsonian Institution
  • Anne Ophelia Todd Dowden Collection Anne Ophelia Todd Dowden (1907–2007) extensively researched and then wrote, illustrated and designed 9 books and 5 magazine articles and illustrated 9 books and 9 articles by other authors on plant themes.

Botanical Gardens in the USA
​

ILLINOIS
NEW YORK

The Morton Arboretum

Art Collection 
more than 12,000 works of art, including original paintings, pen and ink, colored pencil, scratchboard drawings, nearly 1,000 nature prints, as well as a variety of lithographs, etchings, engravings, aquatints, and commercial reproductions of plants and the insects/animals related to them.
MISSOURI

Missouri Botanical Garden Library

  • Botanicus Digital Library - Botanicus is a freely accessible, Web-based encyclopedia of historic botanical literature from the Missouri Botanical Garden Library. Botanicus is made possible through support from the W.M. Keck Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

New York Botanical Garden

  • Plants and Gardens Portrayed: Rare and Illustrated Books The LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden houses a treasury of published and archival documents that trace the development of botany and horticulture from the twelfth century to the present day.

Museums in the USA

CALIFORNIA

Getty Research Institute

Tania Norris Collection of Rare Botanical Books and Woodblocks - the the collection consists of 41 rare books that provide unparalleled insight into the contributions of natural science to visual culture in Europe from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries. ​
The illustration
The illustration "Spring" from Crispijn van de Passe's book "Hortus Floridus", 1614
​Highlights of the collection include 
  • ​Crispin Van de Passe’s Hortus Floridus (1614), apparently the first illustrated book to apply the microscopy of magnifying lenses to botanical illustration;
  • Johann Christoph Volkamer’s Nürnbergische Hesperides (1708), documenting both the introduction of Italian citrus culture to Germany, and the revolution in urban planning which ensued from the parks designed for their cultivation and irrigation. 
  • a copy of Maria Sibylla Merian’s Derde en laatste deel der Rupsen Begin (1717), the first book to depict insect metamorphosis, reputedly hand-colored by her daughter.
Picture
Hand coloured image of Bergamotto della grand Sorte in "Nürnbergische Hesperides" (1708) by Johann Christoph Volkamer
MASSACHUSETTS

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, the “Glass Flowers." 
  • Over 4,000 glass models of 830 species created over five decades. They provided life-like representatives of the plant kingdom for teaching botany.
  • Created by 19th century Bohemian glass artists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka 
  • Reopened to the public in May 2016 following a major restoration (see video below).
DRAWING UPON NATURE: 
Studies for the Blaschkas' Glass Models
2007, hardcover, 
166 pages, 60 color plates
BUY THIS BOOK
DRAWING UPON NATURE: Studies for the Blaschkas' Glass Models - Amazon.com
WISCONSIN

University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • WOMEN AND NATURE: Illustrators & Colorists | Department of Special Collections, Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison
WASHINGTON D.C.

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

  • The Department of Botany of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History has created a database of the more than 3000 botanical illustrations curated by the department's scientific illustrator, Alice Tangerini.
  • Catalog of Botanical Illustrations, Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution


Private Collectors
​

The Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton Collection

This is the largest collection of botanical art in the USA and continues to grow. It's been exhibited at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in Pittsburgh, The New York Botanical Garden and the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew Gardens. 

I've had the pleasure of meeting Isaac M Sutton at Kew and wrote about his collection, how it came about and how he plans to develop it in Botanicals - Environmental Expressions in Art - a review.

You can view another interview with Mr Sutton in a Kew blog post Inspired to collect: The Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton Collection. 

​You can also see his collection on Facebook.
Picture
Isaac M Sutton with his favourite painting in his collection The Sutton Dogwood, Gouache on paper (2001) by Katie Lee. He commissioned this painting of the dogwood which flowers at his home in Brooklyn. He also plans to commission a series of paintings by different artists to paint the tree at different times of the year.
Botanicals: Environmental Expression in Art - The Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton Collection
by James J White

This is a book celebrating key paintings in the collection and is available to buy when the collection is exhibited. I recommended people buy it at the time as the price would only go up over time - and I was right!
  • Paperback: 133 pages
  • Publisher: Hunt Inst for Botanical (June 30, 2009)

  • BUY THIS BOOK
     
    Botanicals: Environmental Expressions in Art, the Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton Collection from Amazon UK
    Botanicals: Environmental Expressions in Art, the Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton Collection from Amazon.com
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    • Home
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    • HISTORY
      • What is Botanical Art?
      • What is Botanical Illustration?
      • Botanical Art History Books >
        • The Art of Botanical Illustration (Blunt)
        • Book Review: Treasures of Botanical Art
      • Herbals
      • Florilegia and Flora
      • Patrons of Botanical Art >
        • About Leonhart Fuchs
        • About Basilius Besler
      • Past Masters - Botanical Art and Illustration >
        • About Maria Sibylla Merian
        • About Elizabeth Blackwell
        • About Georg Dionysius Ehret
        • About Franz Bauer
        • About Sydney Parkinson
        • About Pierre-Joseph Redouté
        • About Marianne North
      • Famous Asian Botanical Artists (600-1900)
      • 20th & 21st Century Botanical Artists >
        • About Arthur Harry Church
        • About Margaret Mee
        • About Mary Grierson
        • About Raymond Booth
        • About Rory McEwen
        • About Pandora Sellars
      • Botanical Photographers
      • Botanical and Herbal Art Online
    • ARTISTS
      • Botanical Artists in the UK
      • Botanical Artists in North America
      • Botanical Artists in Europe
      • Botanical Artists in Australia and New Zealand
      • Botanical Artists in Asia
      • Botanical Artists in Africa
      • Botanical Artists in Latin America
      • Botanical Printmakers, Photographers, Sculptors et al
      • The Jill Smythies Award
      • Botanical Artists on Facebook
      • Botanical Art Blogs
    • Exhibitions
      • Calls for Entries - OPEN exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions >
        • ARCHIVE: Online Botanical Art Exhibitions
      • RHS Botanical Art & Photography Shows >
        • ARCHIVE RHS Botanical Art Shows 2007-2024
        • Exhibit Titles at RHS Botanical Art Shows
        • RHS Portfolio Photography (Botanical / Horticultural)
      • The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art >
        • ARCHIVE: Shirley Sherwood Gallery Exhibitions
      • Hunt International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration
      • UK >
        • Permanent Collections (UK)
        • Botanical Art Exhibitions at Major UK Galleries & Museums >
          • ARCHIVE: Major Gallery Exhibitions
        • Botanical Art Exhibitions in England and Wales >
          • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in the UK
          • ARCHIVE: Reviews of Annual Exhibitions by the Society of Botanical Artists
        • Botanical Art Exhibitions in Scotland >
          • ARCHIVE: Scotland - Botanical Art Exhibitions
      • North America >
        • Permanent Collections (USA)
        • ARCHIVE Past ASBA Exhibitions in the USA
        • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in the USA
        • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Canada
      • Europe >
        • Permanent Collections (Europe)
        • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Europe
        • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Exhibitions in Germany
        • ARCHIVE: ​Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Ireland
        • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Exhibitions in Russia
      • Australasia >
        • Margaret Flockton Award
        • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Australasia
      • Asia >
        • ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Asia
      • Africa
      • ARCHIVE: World Wide Exhibition of Botanical Art 2018
    • Education
      • NEW BOOKS about Botanical Art and Illustration >
        • NEW in 2020: Books about Botanical Art & Illustration
        • NEW IN 2019: Books about Botanical Art & Illustration
        • NEW in 2018: Books about Botanical Art & Illustration
      • Best Botanical Art Instruction Books >
        • Best Instruction Books by Botanical Art Societies >
          • The Art of Botanical Painting - review
          • The Botanical Palette - review
          • Botanical Sketchbook - review
        • Best Instruction Books about Botanical Illustration >
          • Botanical Illustration - Books by Bobbi Angell
          • Botanical Illustration (Oxley) - review
        • Best Instruction Books by top Artists / Teachers >
          • Books By Billy Showell
          • Books - the Eden Project
        • Best Botanical Drawing Instruction Books (Pencils) >
          • Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils - review
        • e-Booklets / digital guides
      • Tips and Techniques >
        • Tips from RHS Gold Medal Winners
        • Preparation and set-up
        • Botanical Sketching and Sketchbooks
        • Design and composition
        • Colour
        • Pen and Ink
        • How to draw and paint trees and leaves
      • Botanical Art Video Tips >
        • Video Tips: Watercolour Painting
        • Video Tips Coloured Pencils
        • Video Tips: Pencil drawing
        • Video Tips: Painting Flowers
        • Video Tips: Painting Leaves & Trees
      • Online Botanical Art Instruction >
        • CHECKLIST: FAQS about Online Learning
        • ONLINE TIMELINE
      • International Directory: Botanical Art Teachers
      • International Directory of Botanical Art Courses >
        • UK: Botanical Art Courses
        • North America: Botanical Art Courses
        • Europe: Botanical Art Courses & Holidays
        • Australasia: Botanical Art Courses
      • Artist Residencies, Scholarships and Bursaries
      • Diplomas and Certificates >
        • SBA Diploma Assignments
      • Distance Learning Courses
      • Talks, Lectures & Tours
      • Botanical Education on Facebook
    • Materials
      • Paper
      • Vellum
    • Groups
      • National & Regional Botanical Art Societies
      • Florilegium Societies & Other Groups
      • Finnis Scott Foundation: Botanical Art Prize
      • Botanical Art Groups on Facebook
    • Botany
      • Why botany matters to artists
      • Botany Books for artists >
        • Botany for the Artist (Simblet)
        • The Art of Plant Evolution
        • The Concise British Flora in Colour (1965)
      • Scientific botanical illustration
      • Plant Forms and Anatomy
      • Plant Evolution and Taxonomy
      • Plant Names and Botanical Latin
      • Botanical Dictionaries
      • How to Identify Plants
      • Recording a Plant / Sketchbooks >
        • Plant Pressing for your own Herbarium
      • Botanic Gardens & Herbaria >
        • Global and National Networks
        • Herbaria, Seed Banks and Fungaria
        • Old Botanic & Physic Gardens in London
        • Botanic Gardens in the UK
        • Botanic Gardens in Ireland
        • Botanic Gardens in Europe
        • Botanic Gardens in the USA
        • Botanic Gardens in Canada
        • Botanic Gardens in Asia
        • Botanic Gardens in Australia
      • Blogs about Plants and Flowers
    • Contact
      • About Katherine Tyrrell
      • About Reviews
      • Privacy Policy