Harvard's Glass Flower Collection














Ever since I had seen an article in Smithsonian Magazine years ago about this collection I had wanted to see it. While in Boston I got to.

A German father and son spent most of their lifetime replicating botanic specimens in glass. They are just unbelievable.

This unique collection of over 3,000 models was created by the glass artisans, Leopold Blaschka and his son, Rudolph. The commission began in 1886, continued for five decades, and represents more than 830 plant species. The models were created by father and son Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, nineteenth century glass artisans who perfected their family craft. Their lineage of jewelers and glassmakers trace as far back as the fifteenth century. The Blaschkas' studio was located in Hosterwitz, near Dresden, Germany.

Professor George Lincoln Goodale, founder of the Botanical Museum, wanted life-like representatives of the plant kingdom for teaching botany. At the time only crude papier-maché or wax models were available.
The life-size models include remarkably accurate anatomical sections and enlarged flower parts.
Mrs. Elizabeth C. Ware and her daughter Mary Lee Ware financed the collection and presented it to Harvard University as a memorial to Dr. Charles Eliot Ware, Class of 1834.

Click on the photo to see them in a larger size--it is worth it. It was difficult to take photos as the overhead lights were positioned to make many reflective 'hot spots' on the glass and the overall light level was low so I had to use a flash and stand at an angle so my flash wouldn't make glare on the shiny glass cases.

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