Ann Lee (illustrator) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ann Lee
|
|
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | Botanical illustrations |
Ann Lee (born 1753, died around 1790) was a talented British artist. She was known for drawing plants, birds, and insects. Artists who draw plants are called botanical illustrators.
Contents
Ann Lee's Early Life and Teacher
Ann Lee's father was James Lee. He was a Scottish nurseryman in London. A nurseryman grows and sells plants.
Ann was a student of a famous artist named Sydney Parkinson. He was also an illustrator. Sadly, Sydney Parkinson died young while at sea. He was working for a well-known scientist, Joseph Banks, at the time.
In his will, Sydney Parkinson left Ann some special gifts. He gave her "whatever utensils that are useful in painting or drawing." These were tools for art. In 2012, these art tools were found. They are now kept at the National Library of Australia.
Ann Lee's Amazing Art Collections
Ann Lee's beautiful artwork is kept in important places.
The Kew Collection
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has a special collection of her work. It's called the Ann Lee Collection. It was given to Kew in 1969. This collection has 165 drawings. About two-thirds of these drawings were made by Ann Lee. The other 60 drawings are on Chinese paper. People believe Chinese artists made them. Ann's father might have collected these drawings. He supplied special plants to the gardens.
Kew Gardens is working on a big project. They are teaming up with the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. They plan to make digital copies of drawings by women botanical illustrators. Ann Lee's works will be part of this project.
The Exeter Collection
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum is in Exeter. This museum also has many of Ann Lee's drawings. They have 79 of her artworks. These drawings show butterflies, birds, and insects.
Her Art at Auction
In 2013, a group of seven of Ann Lee's plant drawings were sold. These drawings were made in 1771. At that time, Ann was only 17 or 18 years old. They were sold at Christie's auction house. They sold for £3,125. This shows how valuable her art is.
