Botanical drawing

These two botanical studies were painted by the illustrator Kate Greenaway as part of an examination piece when she was 17. They are among her earliest known works. At the age of 12 Kate Greenaway had enrolled as a full-time student at the Finsbury School of Art where she studied for 6 years, completing the 23-stage National Course of Art Instruction initiated by Henry Cole. She submitted these studies, together with two ornamental designs based on them, for the 22nd stage of the course, winning an honourable mention. The piece follows the principals of the botanist and designer Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) who lectured at the South Kensington School from 1854-1868. Dresser advocated stylised plant ornamentation that was based on a detailed study of plant forms through botanical drawings.