The Botanical Wall Chart: Art from the golden age of scientific discovery

Botanical charts are experiencing a resurgence in interest, both as pieces of art and as objects of scientific and historical significance, and Wall Flower documents this extraordinary convergence of disciplines that flourished in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Europe was enjoying a golden age of botanical illustration, naturalists were exploring the globe, and there was a clamour for knowledge of the natural world. Intellectual curiosity was no longer limited to the few; education was now considered a right afforded to all, in classrooms across the continent. And thus the botanical wall chart was born, a synthesis of art, science and education. This collection of wall charts from all over the globe, each accompanied by text explaining its historical and botanical contexts, has been put together by botanist Anna Laurent, and will delight anyone with an interest in the natural world.