Pl. 39 by Jane Webb Loudon

Pl. 39 by Jane Webb Loudon

C. 1848

Hand Colored Lithograph

This original hand-colored lithograph, designated as Pl. 39 from Jane Webb Loudon’s series The Ladies' Flower-Garden of Ornamental Annuals, was published in 1848. Featuring an arrangement of evening primroses (Oenothera species) like O. macrocarpa, O. tetraptera, and O. glauca, the print highlights their night-blooming, cupped blossoms, a motif often read through Victorian floriography as a symbol of "silent love" and fleeting devotion. The composition showcases luminous yellow and delicate white petals alongside downward-facing buds, all rendered with fine lithographic linework and hand-applied watercolor accents.

Created by Jane Webb Loudon (1807–1858), a pioneering English author and botanical illustrator, this plate exemplifies the 19th-century movement to demystify natural science for everyday audiences. Orphaned as a teenager, Loudon initially gained fame with her groundbreaking 1827 science fiction novel The Mummy!, before turning her sharp intellect to botany alongside her husband, landscape architect John Loudon. Through The Ladies' Flower-Garden, Loudon popularized colorful chromolithography and visual guides tailored specifically for women who were historically excluded from formal scientific institutions. Her work is historically significant because it transformed complex scientific instruction into accessible, elegant art, offering Victorian women both a tool for self-education and a medium for coded emotional communication through the popular language of flowers (floriography).

Dimensions: H 11”x 8 ½”W

Condition: Slight foxing, small tear on right side