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Margaret Stones (1920- ) Margaret Stones is a widely respected botanical artist. Born in Australia, she began her artistic training at the National Gallery School in Melbourne. Initially Stones turned to nursing as a career but following serious illness she developed her interest in botanical art. She studied botany and became familiar with the Australian flora. In 1951 she travelled to England and became based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. She worked with the staff and other artists, studying plants under the microscope as well as dried and living specimens. Such was the quality and lifelike precision of Stones' work that she soon began to exhibit her artwork in London galleries. She became the principal contributing artist for the famous Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1958, ranking with the very best botanical artists who had preceeded her. Stone usually paints in watercolour on paper. Occasionally she also uses gouache and ink. She paints from living plant specimens. The plant genus Stonesia was named in her honour. Approximately 400 of Stones' watercolours were reproduced in Curtis's Botanical Magazine. She also held public exhibits of her work. After a commission from Lord Talbot de Malahide, between 1967 and 1978 she produced 250 illustrations for Winifred Curtis's multi-part work, The Endemic Flora of Tasmania (1967-78), setting a new illustrative standard for floras. After this, she started on a ten year project with Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge, illustrating work for Louisiana's endemic flora. The university awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in science in 1986 in recognition of her remarkable work. In 1988 Margaret Stones was made a Member of the Order of Australia and in 1989 she received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Melbourne. Over the years she has received many awards and medals for her exceptional artwork.
In this magnificent drawing titled by the artist Helianthus tomentosus (since identified as ASTERACEAE Coreopsis sp. 'Tickseed'), Stones has drawn the full sized plant in the centre of the page. The illustration shows selected botanically significant aspects of the plant at varying magnifications, requiring skilled and careful observation and recording by the artist. With typical attention to detail, anatomical details are shown magnified between 2 and 20 times. The subject was observed and drawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on 12 August, 1982.
The Margaret Stones Drawings Collection This is the only example of Stones' work held at the Natural History Museum.
Exhibition and publication details This drawing has not previously been displayed to the public.
References and further reading Curtis, W.; illustrated by Stones, M. (1967-78) The Endemic Flora of Tasmania. Ariel Press: London. 6 parts. P & D Colnaghi & Co Ltd (1974) Botanical Drawings in Watercolour by Margaret Stones: 14th December 1973 to 11th January 1974 [Exhibition catalogue]: London. Shaunagh Fitzgerald Ltd (1984) Margaret Stones: Botanical Watercolours. Exhibition of Botanical Watercolours by Margaret Stones 30th October - 10th November 1984: London. Shaunagh Fitzgerald Ltd (1989) Exhibition of Botanical Watercolours by Margaret Stones 31st October - 10th November 1989: London. Zdanowicz, I. (1996) Beauty in Truth: the Botanical Art of Margaret Stones. National Gallery of Victoria: Melbourne. 96pp. www.anbg.gov.au/biography/stones-margaret.html www.garden-services.com/botanical_stamps_au.htm
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