Alice Lounsberry
Encyclopedia
Ellis Rowan
Marian Ellis Rowan , known as Ellis Rowan, was a well-known Australian botanical illustrator. She also did series of illustrations on birds, butterflies and insects....
, publishing three books with her as illustrator.
Alice Lounsberry was the daughter of James Smith Lounsberry and Sarah Woodruff (Burrows) Lounsberry. She was educated at Mrs. Sylvanus Reed's School, New York City (Leonard, 1914). Lounsberry came to visit Ellis Rowan when Rowan was hospitalized with influenza in Washington, D.C., circa 1896-1897 (Samuel 1961). Lounsberry then proposed that the artist illustrate her upcoming book on wildflowers. Rowan agreed, changing plans to return to Europe.
Over a period of two or more years, the two traveled over the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
in search of native plants. The first year, they traveled to Florida, exploring the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
, among other sites. They then visited the Southern Appalachian region, including Roan Mountain
Roan Mountain (Roan Highlands)
Roan Mountain is the highpoint of the Roan-Unaka Range of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. The mountain is clad in a dense stand of Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest, and includes the world's largest natural rhododendron garden, and the longest...
, Tennessee and Grandfather Mountain
Grandfather Mountain
Grandfather Mountain is a mountain, a non-profit attraction, and a North Carolina state parknear Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet , it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major chains of the Appalachian Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway...
, North Carolina. The next year they returned to that region, working at the herbarium of the Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore House is a Châteauesque-styled mansion near Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately-owned home in the United States, at and featuring 250 rooms...
in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
. Presumably this is where Lounsberry became acquainted with Chauncey Beadle
Chauncey Beadle
Chauncey Delos Beadle was a Canadian-born botanist and horticulturist active in the southern United States. He was educated in horticulture at Ontario Agricultural College and Cornell University...
. According to Samuel (1961), it was while in Asheville that Rowan received news that her son Eric (called "Puck") had been killed in Africa. This would have taken place in the period 1899-1900, presumably during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
(1899-1902).
Lounsberry and Rowan did not work on another book after Southern Wildflowers and Trees was published in 1901. Rowan went on to tour the western United States, and returned to Australia circa 1904-1905. Lounsberry wrote several more works on botany and gardening, but none seemed to enjoy the popularity of her works with Rowan, based on their abundance on the used book
Used book
A used book or secondhand book is a book which has been owned before by an owner other than the publisher or retailer, usually by an individual or library....
market, circa 2006.
- A Guide to the Wild Flowers (1899), illustrations by Ellis RowanEllis RowanMarian Ellis Rowan , known as Ellis Rowan, was a well-known Australian botanical illustrator. She also did series of illustrations on birds, butterflies and insects....
, introduction by Nathaniel Lord BrittonNathaniel Lord BrittonNathaniel Lord Britton was an American botanist and taxonomist who founded the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York. Britton was born in New Dorp in Staten Island, New York...
. New York: Frederick A. StokesFrederick A. StokesFrederick A. Stokes was an eponymous American publishing company. Stokes was a graduate of Yale Law School. He had previously worked for Dodd, Mead and Company and then briefly had partnerships with others before founding his company in 1890....
Company. - A Guide to the Trees (1900), illustrations by Ellis RowanEllis RowanMarian Ellis Rowan , known as Ellis Rowan, was a well-known Australian botanical illustrator. She also did series of illustrations on birds, butterflies and insects....
, introduction by Nathaniel Lord BrittonNathaniel Lord BrittonNathaniel Lord Britton was an American botanist and taxonomist who founded the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York. Britton was born in New Dorp in Staten Island, New York...
. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. - Southern Wild Flowers and Trees (1901), illustrations by Ellis RowanEllis RowanMarian Ellis Rowan , known as Ellis Rowan, was a well-known Australian botanical illustrator. She also did series of illustrations on birds, butterflies and insects....
, introduction by Chauncey BeadleChauncey BeadleChauncey Delos Beadle was a Canadian-born botanist and horticulturist active in the southern United States. He was educated in horticulture at Ontario Agricultural College and Cornell University...
. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. (Reviewed in the May 30, 1901, issue of The Nation.) - The Wildflower Book for Young People (1906). New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. (Reviewed in the March 26, 1908 issue of The Nation.)
- Gardens Near the Sea (1910). New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. (Reviewed in the December 8, 1910 issue of The Nation.)
- Frank and Bessie's Forester (1912). New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company.
In addition, an Alice Lounsberry, apparently the same person as the botanist, was the author of a historical biography: Sir William Phips
William Phips
Sir William Phips was a shipwright, ship's captain, treasure hunter, military leader, and the first royally-appointed governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay....
, Treasure Fisherman and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1941), published in New York by C. Scribner’s and sons. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography calls this work "a curious mixture of research and imagination, largely uncritical".