Mary Delany: Grass of Parnassus Small Boxed Cards

Mary Delany (English, 1700–1788)
Parnassia Palustris Grass of Parnassus (detail), 1776

Mary Delany became known for her drawing, garden design, shellwork and needlework but primarily for her paper collages of flowers all made between 1772 and 1782. She created nearly a thousand collages before failing eyesight caused her to stop in 1782. They filled ten albums, which were bequeathed to the British Museum by Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover.