Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Victorian Curiosities: Orchidelirium Tara's Blog 2



Victorian Curiosities: Orchidelirium

            The sciences where vastly expanding during the Pre-Raphaelite era, and these scientific and technological advances where incorporated into the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites. Their use of new painting materials and pigments are one example of these technologies.  Another very interesting phenomena happening during the Pre-Raphaelite time period was an event later called “Orchidelirium” or “Orchid Mania”. These terms refer to the vast collecting, trading, and eventually breeding of exotic and/or rare orchids in Victorian Europe. Orchids were one of the curiosities of the Victorian era, and they were a symbol of wealth and sophistication. I have attached a link to a really great article on the ‘orchid hunters’ of the time. The article discusses a collector and nursery cultivator of orchids in London, Fredrick Sander. Sander was the Royal Orchid Grower to Queen Victoria, and was in a very lucrative position as orchids were selling like ‘jewels’ at fairs in London. Sander published two volumes of a book, Reichenbachia, which are both available at the special collections in Memorial Library, and I highly recommend taking the time to look at them. They have large, gorgeous colored plates of exotic orchids from Central and South America. Memorial library has many other great orchid books from the Victorian era, with equally beautiful illustrations.
            I believe orchids today are still a symbol of sophistication and wealth. Orchids are often used to celebrate a special occasion. Luckily, there are more laws today protecting the wild orchids and their habitats. There are estimated to be around 25,000 species of orchids across the globe, making about one out of every ten plant species an orchid. That is also about four times the amount of species of mammals on earth! Orchid species are also found on every continent (except for the North and South Poles) making them a beautiful spectacle across the globe.
            The Victorian era was filled with discoveries of the natural world, and the orchid caught the attention of many. The Pre-Raphaelites were also captivated by the natural world, and their work accurately portrays their love for nature. Their strong sense of flower symbolism can be linked the Victorian age of botanical research. Convent Thoughts by Collins is a great example of Victorian botanical interests and the Pre-Raphaelite eye for detail. From trees to each blade of grass, the leaves and petals of the flowers, this painting has amazing botanical accuracy. This theme is carried throughout many paintings by the PRB, Ruskin was very interested in the idea of beauty in natural details. Ruskin believed that nature was the work of God, and that natural details should be rendered in exacting precision and be truthful to ‘God’s handiwork’. These beliefs led to the exquisite craftsmanship that the PRB are known for, which aimed to reflect the beauty of nature to their viewers.
An image from Reichenbachia

Image from Reichenbachia


https://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=4477&size=large



2 comments:

  1. It is a rather interesting topic. At first I thought orchids or flowers in general are just merely representations of women, or at least, always associated with women, which made sense to me that Victorian times valued gender difference a lot. After reading your blog post, your point that "orchids ...are...a symbol of sophistication and wealth" explains this "orchidelirium" more thoroughly since class difference is also another big issue in Victorian times. Probably we can look at the paintings in the perspective of plants as in lecture, Professor Marshall always mentions, to look at these paintings in the perspective of animals.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Wing

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  2. I really enjoy reading your blog entry and the connection you draw between art and science. It is very interesting to learn that how people have started to breed flowers artificially as early as in the Victorian period. It is unexpected, but fun to how Orchids are valued as much as jewels, and was collected by so many important people in the Victorian period. I really like your note on the available resources on campus, this is a great way to share information you have found with others. Another point that I found fascinating is that there are laws today practicing orchids, as you mentioned, and the large number of Orchid species around the world. Overall, I really like your entry, and have learned something new from it!

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