Elizabeth Twining
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Twining was an English
botanical illustrator
.
tea
merchant family, one of the nine children of Richard Twining and his wife Elizabeth Mary Smythies. Raised in a privileged area of London
, she learned art
and drawing
as part of her upper-class education. Inspired by Curtis's The Botanical Magazine and the Royal Horticultural Society
at Chiswick
gardens, Elizabeth began drawing plant
s and flower
s; she practised by making sketches from works in the Dulwich
Picture Gallery, and toured famous museums thanks to her father
's patronage.
She wrote and illustrated a number of books on the subject, most notably the two-volume Illustrations of the Natural Order of Plants (volume I in 1849, volume II in 1855), which included a total of 160 hand-coloured lithographs, royal folio, reportedly based on observation at the Royal Botanical Gardens
in Kew
and at Lexden Park in Colchester
. Interestingly, the subsequent 1868 quarto
edition features cheaper colour-printed plates, demonstrating the transition from expensive hand-colouring to a lower-quality, cheaper alternative.
Elizabeth Twining lived in the old family residence of Dial House, in Twickenham
. She died in 1889, and by her will
, Dial house was given to the people of Twickenham for use as the vicarage. Most of her original artwork is now part of the collection of the British Museum
.
. She set up and managed a temperance hall in Portugal Street, renovated the parish
almshouses near her Twickenham
home (a fact commemorated by a plaque on Saint Mary's church, Twickenham), and, after a long association with King's College Hospital
, she established the Saint John's hospital for the treatment of the poor. She was the first to organise "mothers meetings" in London
, for which she wrote 'Ten Years in a Ragged School and Readings for Mothers Meetings, and contributed to the founding of Bedford College for Women by Elizabeth Jesser Reid
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
botanical illustrator
Botanical illustrator
A botanical illustrator is a person who paints, sketches or otherwise illustrates botanical subjects such as trees and flowers. The job requires great artistic skill, attention to fine detail, and technical botanical knowledge...
.
Biography and drawing
Elizabeth was born in 1805 into the TwiningsTwinings
Twinings is a marketer of tea based in Andover, Hampshire, England.- History :The founder of Twinings, Thomas Twining, opened the first known tea room, at 216 Strand, London, in 1706, which is still operating today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is one of the world's oldest in continuous use...
tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
merchant family, one of the nine children of Richard Twining and his wife Elizabeth Mary Smythies. Raised in a privileged area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she learned art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
as part of her upper-class education. Inspired by Curtis's The Botanical Magazine and the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
at Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
gardens, Elizabeth began drawing plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s and flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s; she practised by making sketches from works in the Dulwich
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
Picture Gallery, and toured famous museums thanks to her father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
's patronage.
She wrote and illustrated a number of books on the subject, most notably the two-volume Illustrations of the Natural Order of Plants (volume I in 1849, volume II in 1855), which included a total of 160 hand-coloured lithographs, royal folio, reportedly based on observation at the Royal Botanical Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
in Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
and at Lexden Park in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
. Interestingly, the subsequent 1868 quarto
Quarto
Quarto could refer to:* Quarto, a size or format of a book in which four leaves of a book are created from a standard size sheet of paper* For specific information about quarto texts of William Shakespeare's works, see:...
edition features cheaper colour-printed plates, demonstrating the transition from expensive hand-colouring to a lower-quality, cheaper alternative.
Elizabeth Twining lived in the old family residence of Dial House, in Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
. She died in 1889, and by her will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
, Dial house was given to the people of Twickenham for use as the vicarage. Most of her original artwork is now part of the collection of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
Other activities
Apart from her artistic endeavours, Elizabeth Twining was a notable philanthropistPhilanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. She set up and managed a temperance hall in Portugal Street, renovated the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
almshouses near her Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
home (a fact commemorated by a plaque on Saint Mary's church, Twickenham), and, after a long association with King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is an acute care facility in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH"...
, she established the Saint John's hospital for the treatment of the poor. She was the first to organise "mothers meetings" in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, for which she wrote 'Ten Years in a Ragged School and Readings for Mothers Meetings, and contributed to the founding of Bedford College for Women by Elizabeth Jesser Reid
Elizabeth Jesser Reid
Elizabeth Jesser Reid , was an English social reformer, anti-slavery activist and philanthropist. She is best remembered as the founder of Bedford College....
.