Jacaranda filicifolia, Image courtesy of The Archives of Rudolph and Leopold Blaschka and the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Illustrated lecture by Jenny Brown, Collection Manager of the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants at Harvard
Date: Tuesday, August 27th
Time: 8.00
Admission: $8
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants at Harvard University, more popularly known as The Glass Flowers, is often described as “an artistic marvel in the field of science and a scientific marvel in the field of art.” The collection was commissioned to aid in botanical instruction and serve as the premier botany exhibit in what is now the Harvard Museum of Natural History. The models were made from 1887 through 1936 by Leopold (1822-1895) and Rudolf (1857-1939) Blaschka, father and son glass artists who lived and worked in Hosterwitz, Germany near Dresden.
Prior to making the Glass Flowers, the Blaschkas established a very successful business supplying collections around the world with glass models of marine invertebrates such as sea anemones, jellyfish, and squid among many other species. Like these marine animals, plant specimens were difficult to preserve and display in a compelling fashion. Once-vibrant colors would fade and forms would be flattened when mounted on a herbarium sheet or become distorted if preserved in liquid. Glass, in the highly skilled hands of the Blaschkas, provided a medium from which lifelike models of plants could be made for study and public display. The Glass Flowers are complex items to categorize, straddling art and science, regarded as teaching tools and exemplary works of art glass. This lecture will share the fascinating history and creation of this truly singular collection.
Jenny Brown is the Collection Manager of the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants at Harvard University, better known as the Glass Flowers. She holds a master’s degree in library and information science from Pratt Institute and a BFA in Interrelated Media from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has done cataloging, archiving, and collection management work for the estate of abstract painter Doug Ohlson (NYC) and in the studio of glass artist Toots Zynsky (Providence, RI) where she also worked as a studio assistant and gained valuable experience handling fragile artworks. Jenny brings a love of natural history, the organizational skills of a librarian, and just the right mixture of confidence and caution to her position managing the Glass Flowers.