Selby Gardens' 45th Anniversary Orchid Show

Lady Slipper Orchids

You'd think I'd learn. But every time I visit a show at Selby Gardens, I'm surprised by the beauty and creativity on display. The latest example is the Gardens' 45th Anniversary Orchid Show: Women Breaking the Glasshouse Ceiling. 

Our first stop was the Tropical Conservatory where the Women's Suffrage Movement is being celebrated. How, you might wonder, do you celebrate suffrage through a botanical display? It turns out the suffragists chose three colors -- purple, white and gold -- for the branding of their movement.  The Suffragist newsletter in 1913 explained, "purple is the color of loyalty, constancy to purpose, unswerving steadfastness to a cause; white, the emblem of purity, symbolizes the quality of our purpose; and gold, the color of light and life, is as the torch that guides our purpose, pure and unswerving." Who knew? 

The colorful theme was repeated throughout the Conservatory. Then there were the reminders of the era in which the suffragists' battle was finally won. Art deco architectural flourishes reminiscent of the Chrysler Building were in abundance. Music played that had me kicking up my heels a bit. I particularly enjoyed "It Had to Be You" and, of course, "Tiptoe through the Tulips" (the original -- not the Tiny Tim version!)  

In addition to the gorgeous orchids, the Conservatory featured colorful bromeliads and anthuriums. Not surprisingly, they weren't randomly included to fill out the space.  Orchids, bromeliads and anthuriums are all epiphytic, meaning they grow under the cover of other plants. So there's a family relationship. Then there's the fact that anthuriums symbolize long-lasting love and friendship. What better symbol of the relationships surely built among these women who worked so long to secure the vote? 

Corkscrew anthurium 

The show continues in Payne Mansion with a display of botanical art created by women and botanical specimens obtained by women. (This is where "breaking the glasshouse ceiling" comes in.)  The specimens were lovely -- a type of art in and of themselves. But the illustrations were superb. 

The exhibit included the largest book I've ever seen. James Bateman's The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala is opened to an image of Mr. Skinner's Cattleya, a type of orchid, painted by Mrs. Augusta Withers. Happily, we had the chance to talk to a Selby staff member about the book. 

Between 1837 and 1843, loose folio pages with lithographs of orchid specimens and related descriptions were sent to the 125 subscribers to Bateman's book. The process of recreating lithographs from the original paintings was -- and still is -- quite laborious. Once a stone plate with an etching of the illustration had been created, a single color would be applied and pressed onto a page. The page would then be run through a printer to embed the design. The process was repeated for each color. The pages in Bateman's book measure approximately 30" x 22" and were the largest size any printer could handle at the time. Subscriptions were required to fund the costs associated with the folios' production, and each subscriber was responsible for binding his own book. A blog published by Biodiversity Heritage Library about the book notes that each double elephant folio volume weighed approximately 38 pounds. (To read the blog -- which features a terrific cartoon relating to the book's size -- click here.)

Most of the images in Bateman's book were created by Mrs. Withers and Miss Sarah Anne Drake. Withers was an English natural history painter who held the position of Flower Painter to the Queen during both Queen Adelaide's and Queen Victoria's Reign. The acclaimed Scottish botanist John Claudius Loudon said what must have been considered high praise for Withers' work: "To be able to draw Flowers botanically, and Fruit horticulturally, that is, with the characteristics by which varieties and sub varieties are distinguished, is one of the most useful accomplishments of young ladies of leisure, living in the country." To read more about Withers and her work, click here. 

Miss Drake was much more low profile than Mrs. Withers. Most of her career as a botanical artist is related to the work of John Lindley. Lindley published two volumes of Ladies' Botany: or, A Familiar Introduction to the Study of the Natural System of Botany. In the 1930s, the field of botany was just beginning to be considered a science worthy of study. Lindley decided the time was right to publish a book for mothers who wanted to teach their children an appreciation of the natural world. The books are structured as letters from mothers to their children. So far as I can tell, Lindley was the one who penned the letters. Miss Withers drew all of the illustrations for the books in addition to her work on Bateman's tome. 

If you're interested in learning more about female botanical artists of the 19th century, click here to register for Selby Garden's free virtual lecture on the topic. 

Selby Gardens' Orchid Show is running through November 29th. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.