Description
Florence Woolward's The Genus Masdevallia
This fine collection of hand-colored lithographs was created by Florence Woolward in 1896. According to the preface of the work, the orchid genus Masdevallia had gained popularity and there were many species being cultivated, which led Woolward to produce the work. Reichenbachia had passed just a year before the work was officially begun. A few of the early plates were submitted to him to which gave his approval and suggested minor additions. There is one fold-out map, printed in color, 87 hand-colored lithographs, one of which is a double-page image, and 61 wood-engravings in the text. Most of the images are of a medium size, filling about 3/4's of the page. There are a few that fill the page, and a few that are smaller.
Woolward was an exceptionally talented artist with a love for nature, especially orchids. Several of her original paintings of orchids have been uncovered in the past few years and generously donated to Kew Gardens. The plates were both drawn and lithographed by Woolward. This work is rare, as it seems there were only 100 produced: "The original intention was to issue 250 copies, and it has been estimated that approx. 150 were actually issued, with just over 100 being bound" (S. Manning, Florence H. Woolward botanical artist 1854-1936, published in 'The Orchid Review' vol. 104).