A stunning collection of botanical wall charts from all around the world, ideal for naturalists, botanists, scientists and anyone with a love of plant life.
Botanical charts are experiencing a resurgence in interest, both as pieces of art and as objects of scientific and historical significance, and The Botanical Wall Chart documents this extraordinary convergence of disciplines that flourished in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.
Europe was enjoying a golden age of botanical illustration, naturalists were exploring the globe, and there was a calamour for knowledge of the natural world. Intellectual curiosity was no longer limited to the few; education was now considered a right afforded to all, in classrooms across the continent. And thus the botanical wall chart was born, a synthesis of art, science and education. This collection of wall charts from all over the globe, each accompanied by text explaining its historical and botanical contexts, has been put together by botanist Anna Laurent, and will delight anyone with an interest in the natural world.
Anna Laurent (1979-2024) dedicated her life to showcasing the beauty and functionality of plant forms and bringing them to a wider audience. An artist in her own right, her work is incorporated in the permanent collections of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, and in the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History, California, as well as being exhibited in botanical gardens around the world and at the Linnean Society, London. Dispersal, a photographic project devoted to the beauty of seedpods that originated in a column for Print magazine, won prizes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the International Photography Awards, and the International Garden Photography Awards.
Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Anna's interest in botany developed upon moving to Los Angeles in 2008 to work in documentary film production. What began as a hobby became all consuming and within a short time she quit her job to devote herself full time to writing and creating art about plants. She found further success on relocating to Europe in 2017 where she split her time between London and the French Basque Country. Anna passed away from cancer at the age of 45 while working on a book on the history of human interactions with the botanical world.