An exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History called Drawn by a Lady includes detailed drawings of plants and flowers created by women during the Victorian Age.
It was not uncommon for women in Victorian times to draw and paint their natural surroundings, but the illustrations now on display at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History are much more than pretty flowers. Exhibit curator Linda Miller says the illustrations contributed to our understanding of the natural world — even though the women weren’t recognized for their efforts.
“Women at that time weren’t really allowed to publish their ideas and write books on authoritative subjects having to do with science and art,” Miller said.
The exhibit profiles eight women from 18th and 19th-century England whose precise, detailed drawings of plants and flowers added to the field of botany. Miller said the illustrations were published anonymously or using their husbands’ names.
“Those beautiful lithographs over there from about 1850 to 1870 by Jane Loudon – she did a whole slew of books on horticultural gardening advice, and they were hugely popular. She called herself Mrs. Loudon,” she said.
The exhibit is called Drawn by a Lady. Miller said the illustrations appeared in horticulture journals, books and reference materials. The women’s work was in high demand and some publishers, she said, simply labeled the art as drawn by a lady.
“I felt as if you cannot understand the challenges that women faced without looking at the social and the cultural context in which they lived,” Miller said.
With more than 40 botanical drawings and historical information about the illustrators, Miller tells the story of how these women contributed to science through art at a time in history when that wasn’t allowed.
She said the women did not receive the recognition they deserved during their lifetimes, but their names are now more widely known.
“It hasn’t been that long since women used their name and put their name on a scientific paper or a book or an idea. It was slow in coming,” Miller said.
Fortunately, times have changed. Dr. Linda Vorobik is a botanist and scientific illustrator.
“The botanist can see the difference in forms between different species, but the artist can convey the importance of certain aspects of the plant in a way that’s simplified so that other people can understand it,” Vorobik said.
Vorobik lives in the Pacific Northwest, but works closely with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. She said even in our high tech world, she still documents plants and flowers like the illustrators of 200 years ago. She closely observes and draws what she sees.
“You need to have a really good appreciation for the form, the morphology of plants and that’s where scientific illustrations are still really, really useful,” she said.
Vorobik said her favorite subjects include ferns, daisies, and orchids, and her list of favorites continues to grow, the more time she spends in California.
“Because I’ve worked out of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden for so long, I have become fond of succulents, especially the leaf succulents,” she said.
Vorobik has contributed illustrations to some of the foremost botanical references in the state, including the Jepson Manual on California flora, and she’s currently at work on a project about the Channel Islands.
Unlike the women featured in Drawn by a Lady, Vorobik is able to proudly sign her illustrations. She said there’s been progress for women in scientific fields, yet there’s still a ways to go.
“Things have gotten better but, of course, they are not as good as we would really like things to be, as in many professions for women. I feel quite fortunate at the age of 68, and still doing a lot of scientific illustration, to have made a career out of it,” Vorobik said.
Natural History Museum exhibit designer Marian McKenzie worked to get the exhibit space ready to open in March – just in time for Women’s History Month.
She said she carefully considered lighting and flow. For music she chose a 19th century classical playlist and she personally framed each illustration.
“It was quite an honor to be able to touch them and put them together,” McKenzie said.
Drawn by a Lady is at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History until July 2, 2023.
You can find illustrated books on botany in the library at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden where you can also spend time observing the plants in their natural setting.
The KCBX Arts Beat is made possible by a grant from the Shanbrom Family Foundation.
