Marianne North Gallery — Attraction in London

For those who, like me, have never heard of her, Marianne North was an artist, who travelled the world at the end of the 19th century, recording in botanical drawings, the native flora she observed. Her work is prolific, beautiful and scientifically invaluable. She was the first European to record the Red Hot Poker plant. All this is sufficient, but then consider that she was a woman travelling in Victorian female clothes and her achievement becomes even more extraordinary. Kew have displayed her work (including a vast array of different types of wood from all over the world) beautifully; the building itself is a work of art. Well...

Marianne North (1830-1890) travelled extensively and painted the landscapes, flora and wildlife she saw, accumulating hundreds of paintings over a 20 year period. She presented these to Kew Gardens in 1882 and financed the building of a gallery to accommodate them. They are displayed, close together, low and high, throughout the gallery space, which also features some biographical information and a short film condensed from the TV documentary (Kew's Forgotten Queen) of her life and work. A visitor making repeat trips will notice different works each time. One of Kew's many "must see"...

Marianne North (1830 - 1890) is by far the largest contributor to Kew Gardens collections of paintings in oils on canvas. She produced nearly 1,000 works over a period of 20 years, travelling across the globe, documenting the flora, fauna and culture that she encountered. She then donated her works to Kew building a gallery for their display. Her paintings still hang in this gallery, which was restored to its original character and splendour in 2009. Marianne North was exceptional firstly for being a lady off exploring far and wide across the Globe during the...