Botanical Expressions
This exhibition started on December 07, 2019 and is on display until September 25, 2022.
There were 99 objects in this exhibition but right now we can only show you 97 of them. Some objects may not be viewable because they were on loan; this might be due to issues involving image rights or simply because there is no digitized image for the objects.
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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 stuctures, fanciful garden illustrations, and a diversity of vegetal and floral patterns reveal how nature and design dynamically 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.
Since the 19th century, the garden was often seen as a refuge from industry and a natural source of plenty and pleasure. This history of botanical expressions in design illuminates a reflection on the critical role of nature within our world.
- Sidewall, Trellis, ca. 1925
- block-printed paper.
- Gift of Robert W. Friedel.
- 1941-74-19-a,b
- This object was made by Jeffrey & Company.
- This object is part of the Wallcoverings collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Kettle And Stand (England), ca. 1885
- copper, brass, ebony (kettle), wrought iron (stand).
- Museum purchase from the Decorative Arts Acquisition Fund.
- 1990-167-1-a/d
- This object was made by Benham & Froud, Ltd..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Wellspring Carafe, ca. 1847
- enameled and gilt glass.
- Museum purchase from Decorative Arts Association Acquisitions Fund in memory....
- 1993-78-1
- This object was made by Sir Henry Cole (also known as Felix Summerly) and J.F. Christy.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Vase (England), ca. 1890
- 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.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Cushion Cover, Rose Wreath, late 19th century
- cotton, mercerized cotton.
- Gift of Annie May Hegeman.
- 1944-71-6
- Rocking Chair (USA), ca. 1900
- painted maple.
- Gift of George J. Fino.
- 1968-143-1
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Plate, 1753–1756
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-2
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Plate, 1753–1756
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-3
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Plate, ca. 1753-1756
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-4
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Plate, 1753–1756
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-5
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Plate (England), ca. 1753–56
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-6
- This object was made by Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Botanical Plate, 1752–56
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-7
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
- Plate (England), 1753–56
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-8
- This object was made by Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Plate (England), 1753–56
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-9
- This object was made by Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Plate, 1753–56
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-10
- This object was made by Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Plate (England), 1753–58
- soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamels.
- Gift of Irwin Untermyer.
- 1957-11-12
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 8 images of this object.
- Rocking Chair
- steamed, bent sawn oak slats, nailed to bent hickory wood bark-covered branches.
- 2014-44-1
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Vase (USA), ca. 1903-04
- favrile glass.
- Gift of Stanley Siegel, from the Stanley Siegel Collection.
- 1975-32-13
- This object was made by Tiffany and Co..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
- Vase (USA), ca. 1906
- 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.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Vase (USA), ca. 1900
- favrile glass.
- Bequest of Joseph L. Morris.
- 1966-55-37
- This object was made by Tiffany and Co..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Desk Set, ca. 1910-20
- favrile glass, etched bronze.
- Gift of Mrs. Eric Larrabee.
- 1997-11-4/9
- This object was made by Tiffany and Co..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 7 images of this object.
- Vase (France), ca. 1895
- mold-blown, etched and carved glass, enamel fusions.
- Gift of Harry C. Sigman.
- 2013-21-2
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Vase (France), late 19th–early 20th century
- glass.
- Gift of the Estate of Max Kobre.
- 1996-45-11
- This object was made by Etablissement Gallé and Gallé.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Vase (France), late 19th–early 20th century
- glass.
- Gift of the Estate of Max Kobre.
- 1996-45-13
- This object was made by Etablissement Gallé and Gallé.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Vase (France), ca. 1895
- etched overlay glass.
- Gift of Harry Harkness Flagler.
- 1949-89-2
- This object was made by Etablissement Gallé.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Vase (France), late 19th–early 20th century
- blown, cased, acid etched glass.
- Gift of the Estate of Max Kobre.
- 1996-45-17
- This object was made by Etablissement Gallé and Gallé.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Honeysuckle and Hollyhocks, 1897–98
- brush and watercolor, graphite on cream wove paper.
- Gift of Aimee B. Troyen.
- 2012-15-1
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Chrysanthemum Tea Set, 1891–1902
- silver, ivory.
- Gift of Mrs. Roswell Miller.
- 1978-6-1/7
- This object was made by Tiffany and Co..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Tray (USA), ca. 1893
- silver.
- Gift of Mrs. Roswell Miller.
- 1978-6-1
- This object was made by Tiffany and Co..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Side Chair (France), ca. 1900
- pearwood, various woods (marquetry), upholstery (replaced).
- Gift of Mrs. Jefferson Patterson.
- 1979-54-1
- This object was made by Etablissement Gallé.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 8 images of this object.
- Encyclopédie Artistique Et Documentaire De La Plante, Book, 1904–1908
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Robert Winthrop Chanler, Smithsonian Libraries, NK1560 .V47 1904.
- 139.2018.1/4
- There are 8 images of this object.
- The Grammar Of Ornament, 1856
- H x W (book open): 57 × 78 cm (22 7/16 × 30 11/16 in.).
- Smithsonian Libraries, NK1175 .J78 1856.
- 139.2018.2
- La Plante Et Ses Applications Ornamentales, Book, 1896
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Robert Winthrop Chanler, Smithsonian Libraries, NK1560 .G76 1896.
- 139.2018.3
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Floriated Ornament: A Series Of Thirty-One Designs, 1849
- lithograph on paper with hand-colored plates.
- Gift of Leopold Eidlitz, Smithsonian Libraries, NK1565 .P8X 1849.
- 139.2018.5
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Studies In Design, Book, 1876
- lithograph on paper.
- Smithsonian Libraries, NK1535 .D77 1876.
- 139.2018.7
- There are 2 images of this object.
