Frontispiece by Dorothea Eliza Smith (1804-1864)
After the tragedy of losing her first husband and daughter in a shipwreck shadowed her life, Dorothea Eliza Smith left Scotland to join her second husband, Scottish physician Archibald Smith, in South America. She spent several years painting varieties of fruit found in the Peruvian countryside, carefully noting details for each subject, such as the scientific and common names, plant heights, and shapes of leaves. Though the works of many women artists were largely overlooked, Smith’s husband made sure her work was preserved and acknowledged.
Text Karen Callaway
Featured Image Photography Marcy Black Simpson
To read the full feature on Bunny Mellon’s Oak Spring Garden, see “The Heart of a Gardener” on page 73 in the May/June 2018 issue of Victoria. For more information on the Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s Women Artists Initiative, visit osgf.org/library.
