Lilian Snelling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lilian Snelling
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| Born | 8 June 1879 St Mary Cray, Kent
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| Died | 12 October 1972 (aged 93) St Mary Cray, Kent
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| Occupation | Botanical artist |
Lilian Snelling (1879–1972) was a very important British artist who drew plants and flowers. Many people think she was the most important botanical artist in Britain during the first half of the 1900s. She was the main artist for Curtis's Botanical Magazine from 1921 to 1952. Her paintings were known for being very detailed, accurate, and incredibly beautiful. She received special honors, including the MBE in 1954 and the Victoria Medal in 1955.
Early Life and Training
Lilian Snelling was born on June 8, 1879. Her birthplace was Spring Hall in St Mary Cray, Kent. She grew up in a large family. Lilian and her sisters went to a boarding school in Tunbridge Wells.
In 1915, a man named Henry John Elwes asked her to paint flowers. These were flowers he had collected during his travels. She painted them at his home, Colesbourne Park, in Gloucestershire.
Working as a Botanical Artist
From 1916 to 1921, Snelling worked at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. She painted many different plants for Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour. He was the Keeper of the Botanic Garden and a professor. While there, she also learned about lithography. This is a special way of printing images.
In 1921, she moved to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. She became the main artist and lithographer for Curtis's Botanical Magazine. This magazine had just been bought by the RHS. From 1929, another artist, Stella Ross-Craig, helped her.
Lilian Snelling worked for 30 years at the magazine. She retired in 1952. During her time there, she created over 830 paintings and plates. Volume 169 of Curtis's Botanical Magazine was dedicated to her. It praised her for her "remarkable delicacy of accurate outlines" and "brilliancy of colour."
Famous Works and Awards
Lilian Snelling's paintings were used in several important books. She illustrated a part of Henry John Elwes's Monograph of the Genus Lilium (1934). She also contributed to Stern's Study of the genus Paeonia (1946). Another book she illustrated was Fred Stoker's A Book of Lilies (1943).
In 1954, she was given the MBE award. This was part of the King's Birthday Honours List. The next year, in 1955, she received the Victoria Medal. This is the highest honor given by the RHS.
In 1959, her work was shown in an exhibition at Kew Gardens. The exhibition celebrated 200 years of Kew's help to botany. She was called "one of a remarkable group of women" artists. Other artists in this group included Stella Ross-Craig, Ann V. Webster, and Margaret Stones.
Lilian Snelling passed away at her home in St Mary Cray, Kent, on October 12, 1972.
In 2007, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh held a special exhibition. It lasted ten weeks and showed many of her amazing artworks.
See also
In Spanish: Lilian Snelling para niños
