Peperomia pereskiaefolia

William Jackson Hooker prints come from the books of one of the great botanists of the 1800s, the first director of Kew Gardens. Hooker was a skilled botanical illustrator as well as a scientist and editor, and his publications were filled with handsome plant plates. Our collection of fine art prints includes plates from A Century of Ferns along with orchids, cacti, bromeliads, nutmeg and other tropical plants.

About William Jackson Hooker

William Jackson Hooker was born in Norwich on 6 July 1785. An inheritance gave him the means to travel and devote himself to natural history, especially botany. In 1809 he published an account of an expedition to Iceland, even though his notes and specimens had been destroyed on the voyage home.

In 1815 he married Maria, eldest daughter of the Norfolk banker Dawson Turner, and in 1820 he became Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow. There he wrote and edited a long list of works, including Exotic Flora (1823–27), Icones Plantarum and, from 1827, Curtis's Botanical Magazine.

In 1841 he became director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, where he founded the Herbarium, built new glasshouses and created an arboretum and a museum of economic botany. He died at Kew on 12 August 1865, and his son Joseph Dalton Hooker succeeded him as director.

Style and Subjects

Hooker's books were made to show plants clearly for botanists. Each plate gives one species, often with flower details and parts drawn to the side, in a clean, scientific style. Many of his later plates were drawn on stone by the artist Walter Hood Fitch, whom Hooker discovered in Glasgow.

The ferns are the heart of this collection: graceful fronds spread across the page, each one different in shape and texture. Alongside them sit bright orchids such as Cattleya and Dendrobium, bromeliads, cacti and economic plants like nutmeg.

Famous Works

• A Century of Ferns, Pl. 59. A fern plate from his book of one hundred ferns.
• A Century of Ferns, Pl. 71. Another fern from the same series.
• Cattleya Loddigesii. A Cattleya orchid in flower.
• Dendrobium Barringtoniae. A Dendrobium orchid in flower.
• Myristica Officinalis (Nutmeg). The nutmeg tree, an important spice plant.
• Cactus truncatus. A flowering cactus.
• Bromelia nudicaulis. A bromeliad in flower.

Decorating with Hooker Prints

Hooker's ferns are a perfect fit for a calm, natural interior. A set of four or six in matching oak or black frames makes a classic botanical wall in a living room, hallway or bathroom. Their greens look fresh against white, sage or deep green walls.

The orchids and cacti bring more colour and suit a bedroom, conservatory or home office. Mix them with real houseplants for a living, layered look, or hang a single nutmeg plate in a kitchen.

FAQ

Who was William Jackson Hooker?

William Jackson Hooker (1785–1865) was an English botanist and botanical illustrator who became the first director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in 1841.

Did Hooker draw his own plates?

Hooker was a competent botanical illustrator and drew some plates, and he provided drawings for others. Many later plates in his books were drawn on stone by Walter Hood Fitch.

What did Hooker publish?

His works include Flora Scotica (1821), Exotic Flora (1823–27), Icones Plantarum, Species Filicum (1846–64) and 13 volumes of Curtis's Botanical Magazine from 1827.

What did Hooker do at Kew?

He founded the Herbarium, enlarged the gardens, built new glasshouses and set up an arboretum and a museum of economic botany.

Who succeeded Hooker at Kew?

His son, the botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker.

Related Artists

• Walter Hood Fitch: the artist who drew many of Hooker's plates
• Sydenham Edwards: earlier artist of Curtis's Botanical Magazine
• James Sowerby: English botanical artist and naturalist