Fane (Elizabeth Parker, Lady) Botanical Album, 1765-1767

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Summary

Title:
Lady Elizabeth Parker Fane botanical album
Dates:
1765-1767
Creators:
Fane, Elizabeth Parker, Lady, 1751-1829
Abstract:
A botanical album containing 25 watercolor paintings created by Lady Elizabeth Parker Fane in the 18th century.
Extent:
0.83 Linear Feet (1 volume)
Language:
Materials are in English and Latin.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Lady Elizabeth Parker Fane botanical album, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

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.

Biographical / historical:

Lady Elizabeth Parker Fane (1751-1829) was born in Shirburn Castle, Watlington, Oxfordshire, the family seat of the Earls of Macclesfield; she was the daughter of Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield, and Mary Parker, the daughter of Sir William Heathcote, 1st Baronet. In 1773, Elizabeth Parker married John Fane (1751-1824) and together they had six children; their home was in Wormsley, near Watlington, Oxfordshire. John Fane was a Tory politician who represented Oxfordshire in eight successive Parliaments; he was also the president of the Oxfordshire Agriculture Society. While still a teenager, Lady Elizabeth was taught botanical illustration by Georg Ehret, a German who arrived in England in 1736, he was considered the pre-eminent botanical draughtsman of the eighteenth century. Ehret taught both Lady Elizabeth and her mother, Mary Parker, Countess of Macclesfield. In the eighteenth century, botanical illustration was deemed essential education for aristocratic women and both women became expert amateurs. Lady Elizabeth died in June 1829.

Acquisition information:
Purchased for the Huntington from Maggs Bros. Ltd., by the Library Collectors' Council, March 2022.
Custodial history:

The botanical album has been held in the library at Shirburn Castle since it was created; it was lastly owned by the 9th Earl of Macclesfield.

Processing information:

The album was cataloged by Gayle M. Richardson in August 2022.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Gayle M. Richardson
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-11-04 13:32:13 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

RESTRICTED. Available with curatorial approval. Requires extended retrieval and delivery time. Please view digital surrogate.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Lady Elizabeth Parker Fane botanical album, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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