A. R. Valentien: Wildflowers Boxed Notecards

In 1908 artist A. R. Valentien (American, 1862–1925) was commissioned by Ellen Scrips of San Diego to paint the “wildflowers of California.” From 1908 to 1918, he traveled the state from south to north, in every habitat, painting almost 1,500 species of plants, including ferns, trees, and grasses. Although the plan was to publish a book illustrated with the exquisite paintings, the enterprise proved too costly, and Valentien died with this massive amount of work unseen. In 1933, following Miss Scripps’s death, the entire collection was donated to the San Diego Natural History Museum. Finally, in 2003, the paintings were photographed, published, and exhibited for the first time.

Contains five each of the following notecards:

Calochortus concolor (Golden-Bowl Mariposa Lily), 1908–1918 Iris missouriensis (Western Blue Flag), 1908–1918 Mentzelia lindleyi (Lindley’s Blazing Star), 1908–1918 Romneya trichocalyx (Hairy Matilija Poppy), 1908–1918