history of botanical expressions in design illuminates a reflection on the critical role of nature within our world.
Interpretations of botanical forms wind their way through the decorative arts of the late 18th through the early 20th centuries. Botanical Expressions focuses on key figures—Christopher Dresser, Emile Gallé, William Morris, and Louis Comfort Tiffany—whose knowledge of the natural sciences and personal practices of gardening enriched their creative output as designers. A timeline of objects reflects botanicals in form and pattern, highlighting shifting styles across geography and media in textiles, ceramics, glass, wallcoverings, and more. Significant loans from Smithsonian Libraries include illustrated guide books that designers used for natural research and drawing instruction.
At the turn of the 20th century, the intersection of botanical study with design practice stimulated an array of plant forms and motifs in furnishings, glassware, ceramics, textiles, and more. Botanical Expressions reveals how designers, inspired by nature and informed by scientific knowledge, created vibrant new designs in America, Britain, France, and the Netherlands. Blossoming vases, plantlike structures, fanciful garden illustrations, and a diversity of vegetal and floral patterns reveal how nature and design merged.
An increasing number of designers, trained as botanists, advocated for the beauty and order of nature’s systems, colors, and patterns. Many manufacturers operated in proximity to gardens for natural study and stocked books of botanical illustrations as resources for their designers. These primary sources, on loan from Smithsonian Libraries, appear alongside the objects they influenced.
The Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, established in London in 1745, was a short walk from the Chelsea Physic Garden, where the firm’s painters had access to an abundance of plants for in-person study. This book Figures of the Most Beautiful flora contains drawings of more than 300 specimens of plants from the Chelsea Physic Garden, which were referenced for the decoration on these ten plates. While fashionable in subject matter and style, flowers, insects, and leaves also played a practical role to disguise flaws and imperfections in the plates’ delicate porcelain and glaze. These objects were made by Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory & are apart of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
A. 1957-11-9
B. 1957-11-10
C. 1957-11-3
D. 1957-11-4
E. 1957-11-12
F. 1957-11-8
G. 1957-11-2
H. 1957-11-5
I . 1957-11-6
A. Studies In Design, Book lithograph on paper. Smithsonian Libraries, NK1535 .D77 1876.139.
2018.7
B. Sidewall, Honeysuckle block-printed paper. Gift of Cowtan & Tout, Inc. 1935-23-13
This object was made by Arthur Sanderson & Sons, Ltd. and Arthur Sanderson. This object is part of the Wallcoverings collection.
C. Sidewall, Arcadia block-printed paper. Gift of Annie May Hegeman. 1936-5-5-a,b This object is part of the Wallcoverings collection.
D. Textile, Compton cotton. Gift of Robert W. Friedel. 1951-10318-a,b This object was made by Morris & Company, Decorators Ltd. This object is part of the Textiles collection.
A. Doily, Flora’s Retinue: Pink linen warp, silk weft. Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund and through gift of Mrs. Edward Stern 199428-3
In 1889, designer Paulding Farnham’s enameled and bejeweled orchids for Tiffany & Co. created a sensation at the Paris Exposition Universelle. Designers consulted botanical texts at the studio and made watercolor sketches to devise life-like enameling schemes. Botanical books likely served as a reference for the design of this jewelry This object was donated by Miss Isabel Shults. It is credited Gift of Isabel Shults.
AB
A Brooch (USA) gold, enamel, diamonds. Gift of Isabel Shults. 197916-2 This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
B Pansy Brooch/pendant cast gold, fired enamel, diamonds. Gift of Isabel Shults. 1979-16-4
C Brooch gold, enamel, diamond. Gift of Isabel Shults. 1979-16-3 This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
D Lapel Watch gold, enamel, diamonds. Gift of Isabel Shults. 197916-1
D C
This is a vase. It was manufactured by Rozenburg Pottery and Porcelain Factory and painted by Samuel Schellink. It is dated 1900 and we acquired it in 1995. Its medium is porcelain, vitreous enamel. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department. The decoration on Rozenburg porcelain was designed by a few master painters including Samuel Schellink, who is responsible for most objects in this case. His designs were applied in pencil and then other painters would complete the decoration. In 1900, there were 60 painters and 10 apprentices working at Rozenburg.
DA Vase Vase porcelain, vitreous enamel. Gift of Arthur Altschul. 1994-117-6 This object was made by Rozenburg Pottery and Porcelain Factory.
B Two-Handled Vase Vase porcelain, vitreous enamel. Gift of Arthur Altschul. 1994-117-3
Made by Rozenburg Porcelain Factory.
C Two-Handled Vase Vase porcelain, vitreous enamel. Gift of Arthur Altschul. 1994-117-2 This object was made by Rozenburg Pottery and Porcelain Factory.
D Vase Vase porcelain, vitreous ename Gift of Arthur Altschul. 1994117-4 This object was made by Rozenburg Porcelain Factory.
A Vase (England) glass. Gift of Paul F. Walter. 2009-38-1 This object was made by James Powell & Sons. This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
B Vase (USA) favrile glass. Gift of Stanley Siegel, from the Stanley Siegel Collection. 1975-3213 This object was made by Tiffany and Co. This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
C favrile glass. Museum purchase through gift of Georgiana L. McClellan. 1956-66-1 This object was made by Tiffany and Co. and Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company & is apart of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
D Compote (England) glass. Gift of Paul F. Walter. 2009-38-2 This object was made by James Powell & Sons. This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
A The Grammar Of Ornament, Book lithograph on paper. Smithsonian Libraries, NK1175 .J78 1856. 139.2018.2
B Flora’s Feast: A Masque Of Flowers, Book lithograph on paper. Gift of Elizabeth d’Hauteville Kean, Smithsonian Libraries, NX650.F57 C89f.139.2018.9
C A Floral Fantasy In An Old English Garden: Set Forth In Verses & Coloured lithograph on paper. Gift of Elizabeth d’Hauteville Kean, Smithsonian Libraries, NX650 .F57 C89.
139.2018.14
D Figures Of The Most Beautiful, Useful, And Uncommon Plants , Book hand-colored hand
finished, etched and engraved plates. Gift of John Donnell Smith, Smithsonian Libraries, QK9 .M64f 1760. 139.2018.6
E Les Fleurs Animees, Vol. 1H x W (book open): 27 × 36 cm (10 5/8 × 14 3/16 in.). Smithsonian Libraries, NC248 .G7F6 1847. 139.2018.12
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Cooper Hewitt is the nation’s only museum dedicated to historic and contemporary design, with a collection of over 210,000 design objects spanning thirty centuries. Located in the landmark Andrew Carnegie mansion and boasting a beautiful public garden, Cooper Hewitt makes design come alive with unique temporary exhibitions and installations of the permanent collection.
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