Marianne North
After graduating from high school, I studied in London for a semester where I discovered the work of one of my biggest inspirations, Marianne North. Marianne North (1830–1890) was an artist and traveler who recorded the natural world in beautiful realistic paintings. During the Victorian era, females were not welcome in the world of art and certainly not science. North helped forge the way for women in science and art while simultaneously making vast collections of some of the most beautiful paintings I have ever seen.
When I first stepped foot in the North exhibit I was speechless. I remember standing in the middle of the floor that’s pictured above and feeling completely at home although I was half way across the world from my house, Arbor, and Camp Namanu where I was raised. I could not help but draw parallels between North’s life to my personal experiences with drawing the natural world around me. My mind wandered to the field journal project in ecology where I first realized that art and science are one in the same and are stronger together.
Marianne was brave, talented, and curious which are three traits that I strive to embody. She travelled unaccompanied to sit and paint the surrounding flora and fauna in wild and obscure locations. Women during her time were expected to marry young and settle down to raise a family, but Marianne defied all expectations and traveled the world for 13 years starting at the age of 40. North makes me want to continue my own exploration of nature and see natural wonders such as the coral reefs before they have been destroyed by humanity.
North’s work was recognized by people such as the president of the United States and Charles Darwin for or its scientific accuracy. Despite the recognition she received during her time, the name “Marianne North” is unknown to most people today. Her work is a hidden gem and her paintings are snapshots of the wild world during the 1800’s that has since been destroyed or irreversibly damaged by human activity (Marianne North).
Below are some of my favorite from pieces by Marianne North. Each painting is accompanied with a listing of the included plants. More can be found at Kew Garden’s online gallery which houses 800 paintings.
