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John Raphael Smith, 1752–1812, British, William Curtis (1746-1799), Entomologist and Botanist, ca. 1787
- Title:
William Curtis (1746-1799), Entomologist and Botanist
- Date:
- ca. 1787
- Medium:
- Pastel and gouache on moderately thick, moderately textured wove paper
- Dimensions:
- Sheet: 8 5/8 × 10 5/8 inches (21.9 × 27 cm), Frame: 13 1/2 × 15 1/2 × 2 1/2 inches (34.3 × 39.4 × 6.4 cm)
- Inscription(s)/Marks/Lettering:
Lettered inside image in black chalk, center: "BOT"
- Credit Line:
- Yale Center for British Art, Given by Lowell Libson in honor of Mrs. Rachel Lambert Mellon and the Oak Spring Garden Library
- Copyright Status:
- Public Domain
- Accession Number:
- B2013.6
- Classification:
- Drawings & Watercolors
- Collection:
- Prints and Drawings
- Subject Terms:
- books | botanist | entomologist | portrait
- Associated People:
- Curtis, William (1746–1799), botanist and entomologist
- Access:
- Accessible by appointment in the Study Room [Request]
Note: The Study Room is open by appointment. Please visit the Study Room page on our website for more details. - Link:
- https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:66894
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William Curtis (1746–1799) was a respected botanist who held the post of Head Gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden between 1771 and 1776 before establishing his own botanical gardens in Lambeth and Brompton. John Raphael Smith has represented Curtis leafing through one of the volumes of his Botanical Magazine, an illustrated periodical that he started in 1787. Smith began his career as a pastelist and printmaker before rising to become one of the finest and most successful mezzotinters of his time and a print publisher in his own right. This drawing was given to the Center in honor of Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon, Paul Mellon’s second wife, a renowned gardener, designer, and collector of botanical books and drawings, which now comprise the Oak Spring Garden Library in Upperville, Virginia. Gallery label for A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13)
A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition] [Exhibition Description]
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