Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Rare Books
So red the rose
Image not available
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
![[Red, red rose] ; [Dream roses]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Frail.huntington.org%2FIIIF3%2FImage%2F22APN4EQ7CHU%2Ffull%2F%5E360%2C%2F0%2Fdefault.jpg&w=750&q=75)
Visual Materials
Image of a proof sheet for two images from Dream Roses by Mary J. Jacques; two women in flowing gowns pose surrounded by oversized roses.
priJLC_PRG_002150
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Manuscripts
A botanical album created by Mary Parker, Countess of Macclesfield; she started the album in 1756 when she was 30 years of age. Flower painting had become a fashionable occupation for the wives and daughters of the great houses of England and Mary Parker achieved exceptional ability under the tutelage of Georg Ehret. The album contains 48 watercolor and gouache paintings on parchment; depicted are both sides of the plant's leaves and also shown are more than one reproductive stage for each specimen: with the early formation of the blossom, the growing petals, and the full expression of the flower. The images in the album depict numerous plant specimens, sometimes with butterflies and other insects, most likely local to the Macclesfield estate, Shirburn Castle, in Oxfordshire. Many of the illustrations are identified by names predating Carl Linnaeus' binomial plant nomenclature in his "Species Plantarum" (1753), while other notations on the illustrations include Linnaeus' names. The album is bound in a contemporary, richly gilt morocco wallet binding, with interior green silk ties; the binding is likely by Richard Montagu. The pages in the album are marked with the Macclesfield armorial blind stamp. It has a lock and key fastening, and while the original key is present, the lock has been deactivated by a professional restorer, please do not attempt to use the key; also present is a red velvet bookmark.
mssHM 84100
Image not available
Manuscripts
A botanical album created by Lady Elizabeth Parker Fane; she started painting the illustrations in this album in 1765 which means she was just 14 years old when she began. Flower painting had become a fashionable occupation for the wives and daughters of the great houses of England and Elizabeth Parker Fane achieved exceptional ability under the tutelage of Georg Ehret. The album contains 25 watercolor and gouache paintings on parchment; depicted are both sides of the plant's leaves and also shown are more than one reproductive stage for each specimen: with the early formation of the blossom, the growing petals, and the full expression of the flower. The images in the album depict numerous plant specimens, sometimes with butterflies and other insects, most likely local to the Macclesfield estate, Shirburn Castle, in Oxfordshire. Only a small number of the paintings contain titles, though a few are dated by the artist. The 25 paintings are laid into the volume and the remaining pages are blank. The album is bound in a contemporary, richly gilt morocco wallet binding, with a green silk chemise to wrap top and lower edges; the binding was done by an unidentified binder. The album has a lock and key fastening, though the lock has been deactivated, the key is kept with the companion volume mssHM 84100.
mssHM 84101