Adelia Sarah Gates facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adelia Sarah Gates
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| Born | October 24, 1825 |
| Died | September 21, 1912 (aged 86) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Madame Vouga’s school, Geneva, Switzerland |
| Known for | Botanical illustrator |
Adelia Sarah Gates (born October 24, 1825 – died September 21, 1912) was an American artist. She was famous for drawing plants and flowers for science. At first, she was a teacher and painted for fun. Later, she started drawing plants for scientific studies. She traveled a lot to find and draw different plants.
Adelia's Early Life
Adelia Sarah Gates was born in Otego, New York. This town is in the Susquehanna Valley. When she was young, she worked in different jobs. She was a governess, which is like a private teacher. She also worked on a farm and as a school teacher.
When she was 22, Adelia moved to Lowell, Massachusetts. There, she worked in cotton factories. Later, in her thirties, she went to Antioch College. However, she had to leave after two years because of health problems.
Her Art Career
Adelia started painting seriously when she was in her fifties. She took lessons from Emilie Vouga in Geneva, Switzerland. Later, in San Francisco, she wanted to learn more about plants. She met famous plant scientists Sara Plummer Lemmon and John Gill Lemmon. Adelia traded painting lessons for their help in identifying and naming plants.
A book was written about Adelia's life and travels. It was called The chronicles of the Sid. The author, Adela Orpen, was Adelia's governess for 14 years. In the book, Orpen called Adelia "the Sid." This means "lady" or "mistress" in the Sahara, where Adelia was known by that name. Orpen wrote that Adelia was an artist and traveler, but she didn't have scary adventures.
Adelia Gates passed away in San Francisco on September 21, 1912. After she died, more than 600 of her artworks were shown to the public. These beautiful drawings were then given to the United States National Museum. This museum later became the famous Smithsonian Institution.
