Collection search - Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia by Maria Morris

Record information – Brief
1
Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia by Maria Morris

Hierarchical level:

File

Date:

1836.

Reference:

R9266-28-1-E, Volume number: 4154

Type of material:

Art

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

3835297

Context of this record:

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Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana at the National Archives of Canada

Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana, 2008 Acquisition

Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia by Maria Morris
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Record information – Details

File includes:

27 lower level description(s)
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Date(s):

1836.

Place of creation:

Nova Scotia

Extent:

1 album (27 watercolours) : watercolour and pen and ink ; 17.78 x 12.7 cm (approx.).

Language of material:

English

Accession:

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Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana [graphic material, textual material, cartographic material]

Scope and content:

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Maria Morris' Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia album consists of 27 watercolours. The album originally held 48 watercolours but 21 were removed prior to its acquisition by LAC. the 48 watercolours were originally laid down, 2 per page, onto green-blue wove paper, with desccriptions on the facing pages, which were white sheets.

A detailed description of the album has been completed, and is available in the Maria Morris artist file (705-168). Please note that the folio numbers in the detailed description have been assigned to reflect the presence of blank folios, as well as missing folios which once supported the missing watercolours, and for which stubs still exist. Descriptions of certain items will contain the information about missing pages, stubs, and additional inscriptions for missing watercolours.

The watercolours are on Bristol Card sheets.The watercolours themselves are each inscribed with latin and english plant names. Some of the flowers are illustrated with their root systems, but the majority are not. There are descriptions for each image written in pen and ink on laid paper placed on the facing pages. All text is written in Maria Morris' hand. Maria Morris dedicated the album to the Rt. Hon. Lady Mary Fox. They are some of the earliest botanical sketches created in Canada.

The album itself has been assigned control number R9266-4118, and each individual surviving watercolour has been assigned a control number as well., Illustrations of the Star flower and the Evergreen fumitory are missing but their descriptions are on 5 recto. Illustrations of the Spirea tomentosa and the Prunella vulgaris are missing but their descriptions are on folio 17. The illustrations of the Mountain tea and the Trinity flower are missing but their descriptions are on folio 21. The illustrations of the Sweet agrimony and the Fireweed are missing but their descriptions are on folio 22. The illustrations of the Indian cup and the Blue flag are missing but their descriptions are on folio 23. The illustrations of the White pond lily and the Yellow pond lily are missing but their descriptions are on folio 29. The illustrations of the Ladies' slipper and the Convallaria bifolia are missing but their descriptions are on folio 31. The illustrations of the Campanula decissiens and the Golden rod are missing but their descriptions are on folio 35. The illustrations of the Fringed Orchis and the Saldiago casia are missing but their descriptions are on folio 39. The illustrations of the Sea lavender and the Aster salidaginoides are missing but their descriptions are on folio 40. The illustrations of the Canadian lily and Neottia astivalis are missing but their descriptions are on folio 41. The illustration of the Evening Primrose on 50 verso has been removed., File consists of an album with paper boards covered with red cloth and tooled leather. The title is in gold on the front cover. The covers are detached and the spine is missing.

Provenance:

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Sothebys Canada October 1968 Auction

Additional name(s):

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Artist: Morris, Maria, 1813-1875

Biography/Administrative history:

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Morris, Maria, 1813-1875 : Maria Morris was a teacher, poet, and artist, borin in Halifax on 12 February 1813. On 7 July 1840 she married Garret Trafalgar Nelson Miller of La Have by whom she had several children.

She received much of her art training from W.H. Jones, an American who taught at Dalhousie College, and from Professor L'Estrange, an English artist teaching in Halifax. Her earliest known work is a depiction of Mount Uniacke, now in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia. During the 1830s she opened and clsoed three schools in Halifax for teaching drawing and painting to young ladies. She was encouraged to paint the wild flowers of Nova Scotia by Titus Smith, a talented local botanist. The album owned by LAC represent some of the earliest productions of her efforts. In 1839 she announced the proposed publication of Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia to be sold by subscription. A total of four series appeared comprising 99 sheets and representing 146 species; parts 1 and 2 appeared in 1839-1840, part 3 in 1853, and the last series appeared in 1867.

She was also a published poet, as, along with her sister Catherine she published a volume of poetry in New York in 1856.

Maria Morris, according to her biographer, was "the finest artist among a group of Maritime ladies who made floral painting a 19th century phenomenon in the region. She was highly praised by Joseph Howe in the pages of the Novascotian in the 1830s and in the London press on the occasion of an exhibition of her work in 1862. She also exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867.

See Dictionary of Canadian Biography 1871-1880, pp. 534-535, entry by Charles B. Fergusson.

Additional information:

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Alpha-numeric note:

Sotheby's inventory number : W354 and 3CX2J

Custodial history:

GIven by the artist to Lady Mary Fox, wife of the administrator of the province of Nova Scotia in 1836. Thence by family descent; possibly sold at auction or to a dealer in England; sold at auction at Sothebys Canada, October 1968, lot 36; acquired by Peter Winkworth.

Signatures and inscriptions note:

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Inscribed. Signed. Dated., Inscription: inside front cover: mss dedication of these watercolours to the Rt. Hon. Lady Mary Fox, s.d. Maria Morris / Halifax, Nova Scotia / January 12. 1836. Full inscription is as follows:

Inside front cover, on paper, laid down, in ink:

To the Right Honourable / Lady Mary Fox, /

My Lady, /

With sentiments of the highest respect, permit / me to dedicate to your Ladyship the Wild Flowers of the / Province of Nova Scotia, which I have painted from Nature. / Should your Ladyship deign, to take this little book under / your care and protection, such Patronage cannot fail to / stamp a value on its contents, and will be looked upon / with the utmost gratitude by, / Your Ladyship's /obedient, and humble servant. / Maria Morris. /

Halifax, Nova Scotia / January 12, 1836.

On the upper right-hand corner of the laid down sheet is an additional notation added later, in pencil: Extremely rare, JKKK / 27 Original water colours / and text.

Related material:

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The Peter Winkworth Collection also includes prints from the various published sets of the Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia, as follows:

R9266-2446 Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia Part I cover page, e002291338; R9266-2447 Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia text page, e002291675; R9266-2448 Wild Flowers Plate I, May flower, e002291676; R9266-2449 Wild Flowers Plate II Pigeon-berry, e002291677; R9266-2450 Wild Flowers Plate III White pond Lily, e002291678; R9266-2451 Wild Flowers Plate IV Indian Cup, e001201271; R9266-2452 Wild Flowers Plate V Tree Cranberry, e002291679; R9266-2453 Wild Flowers Plate VI Indian Hemp, e002291680; R9266-2454 Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia Part IV cover, e002291339; R9266-2455 Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia text page, e002291681; R9266-2456 Wild Flowers Plate X Twin Berry, e002291682; R9266-2457 Wild Flowers Plate XI Pickerel Weed/Arrowhead, e002291683; R9266-2458 Wild Flowers Plate XII Red and White Baneberry, e002291684; R9266-2459 Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia Part V cover, e002291685; R9266-2460 Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia text page, e002291686; R9266-2461 Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia text page, e002291687; R9266-2462 Wild Flowers Plate 2 Virgin's Bower clematis, e002291688; R9266-2463 Wild Flowers Plate 3 Mountain ash, e002291689; R9266-2464 Wild Flowers Plate 4 Twin Flower, e002291690; R9266-2465 Wild Flowers Plate 6 Laurel and Lamb Bill, e002291691; R9266-2466 Wild Flowers Plate 6 Laurel and Lamb Bill, e002291692; R9266-2467 Wild Flowers Plate III White Pond Lily; R9266-2468 Wild Flowers Plate XI Pickerel Weed/Arrowhead, e002291693, A copy of the first issue of Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia is also held in the rare book holdings of LAC. It is fully described as follows:

Title: Wild flowers of Nova Scotia by Maria Morris, executed from nature of the full size of the flowers; accompanied by information on the history, properties, &c. of the subjects, by Titus Smith

Published: Halifax, N.S.: C.H. Belcher; London: J. Snow, 1840.

Description: Cover title. Work comprised of 12 hand-col. plates accompanied by 4 leaves of descriptive letterpress. "Under the patronage of His Excellency Lieut.-Gen. Sir C. Campbell, K.C.B. &c. &c., lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia". Plate I. May flower; Plate II. Pigeon berry; Plate III. White water lily; Plate IV. Indian cup; Plate V. Tree cranberry; Plate VI. Indian hemp, Milkweed; Plate VII. Smaller Solomon's seal; Plate VIII. Large purple fringed orchis, Northern white orchis; Plate IX. Moose bush; Plate X. Twin berry; Plate XI. Pickerel weed, Common arrowhead; Plate XII. Red and white baneberry.

NLC COPY Reserve - QK201 M66 fol. - NL copy: Modern binding. The portion of the upper wrapper which prints the title of the work within an ornamental frame has been mounted on a modern free endpaper. The leaves of descriptive letterpress have been cut apart, and the description of each plate is affixed to the verso of the preceding plate, so that each plate and its description are displayed on facing pages.

Subject heading:

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SUBJ - BOTANY - FLOWERS

Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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2008-00292-6
R9266
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Conditions of access:

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Graphic (art)

[Consultation90 Open]
Must be viewed with assistance of an archivist.

Volume [R9266]

[Consultation 90 Open]

4154 Item no. assigned by LAC 4118--4145

[Consultation 90 Open]

Terms of use:

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Credit : Library and Archives Canada, Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana, Acc. No. R9266-4118
Copyright : Expired

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Date modified:: 2024-07-24