Flocculent Phlomis

Sydenham Edwards prints bring the clear, fresh flower plates of Georgian England into your home. Edwards drew more than 1,700 watercolours for Curtis's Botanical Magazine and then founded The Botanical Register, picturing lilies, tulips, orchids and newly introduced garden plants. Our collection of fine art prints gathers his flower plates along with his portraits of British dog breeds.

About Sydenham Edwards

Sydenham Edwards was born in 1768 in Usk, Monmouthshire, the son of a schoolmaster and organist. He showed a precocious gift for drawing, and at about eleven he was copying plates from Flora Londinensis for his own pleasure. A visitor named Denman saw his work in 1779 and told his friend William Curtis, the botanical publisher, who had the boy trained in botany and botanical illustration.

Edwards worked at a remarkable rate. Between 1787 and 1815 he painted over 1,700 watercolours for Curtis's Botanical Magazine alone. He also illustrated Cynographia Britannica (1800), a survey of the dog breeds of Britain, New Botanic Garden (1805–07) and New Flora Britannica (1812), and drew for encyclopedias such as Rees's Cyclopaedia.

After a disagreement with John Sims, who succeeded Curtis as editor of the Botanical Magazine, Edwards started The Botanical Register in 1815 under his own editorship. He was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1804 and painted a series of parrots for the 13th Earl of Derby between 1810 and 1812. He died on 8 February 1819 and was buried at Chelsea Old Church in London, where his memorial praises him as a faithful delineator of nature.

Style and Subjects

Edwards drew each plant as a botanist needs to see it: a single flowering stem set on a plain white page, with leaves, buds and open flowers shown clearly and coloured by hand. The result is clean and airy, with crisp outlines and fresh, natural colour.

His subjects range from familiar garden flowers such as tulips, lilies and balsams to exotic orchids, lupines and bulbs arriving in Britain from around the world. The common names on the plates, such as Thunberg's Orange Lily or Rough-stemmed Tulip, add old-fashioned charm. His dog plates are livelier, showing each breed in a landscape. His work was even used to decorate ceramics by potters such as Spode.

Famous Works

• Curtis's Botanical Magazine plates (1787–1815). Over 1,700 watercolours of flowers for Britain's first botanical journal.
• The Bull Dog, from Cynographia Britannica (1800). A sturdy bulldog from his illustrated survey of British dog breeds.
• The Shepherd's Dog and The Cur, from Cynographia Britannica (1800). Two working dogs side by side in an open landscape.
• Thunberg's Orange Lily, from The Botanical Register (1815–1819). A bright orange lily from the journal he founded.
• Rough-stemmed Tulip. A single tulip drawn with botanical care.
• Curve-leaved Aster, from The Botanical Register (1815–1819). A late-season aster from his own journal.

Decorating with Edwards Prints

Edwards's single-stem flowers are made for groups. Hang three or six of his lilies, tulips or balsams in a row in a kitchen, hallway or dining room, in simple wood or white frames, for a bright, fresh look. His orchid and exotic bulb plates suit a garden room or a bathroom with plants.

His dog plates, such as The Bull Dog, make a good choice for a study, boot room or a dog lover's den, and they work well beside traditional furniture and country-house colours.

FAQ

Who was Sydenham Edwards?

Sydenham Edwards (1768–1819) was a Welsh-born natural history illustrator. He is best known for more than 1,700 flower plates for Curtis's Botanical Magazine and for founding The Botanical Register.

What is The Botanical Register?

It is the botanical journal Edwards founded in 1815 under his own editorship after a disagreement with John Sims, editor of the Botanical Magazine. He illustrated it until his death in 1819.

Did Sydenham Edwards paint dogs?

Yes. He illustrated Cynographia Britannica (1800), an encyclopaedic survey of the dog breeds of Britain. Our collection includes plates such as The Bull Dog.

Who trained Sydenham Edwards?

The publisher William Curtis, founder of the Botanical Magazine, had the young Edwards trained in botany and botanical illustration after seeing his drawings.

What makes his flower plates recognizable?

A single flowering stem on a plain page, crisp outlines and fresh hand colouring, with charming old English plant names.

Related Artists

• James Sowerby: fellow illustrator for William Curtis and the early Botanical Magazine
• Pierre-Joseph Redouté: the great French flower painter of the same era
• Walter Hood Fitch: a later leading artist of Curtis's Botanical Magazine
• Elizabeth Blackwell: earlier British botanical illustrator