By Michele Leggott The Turnbull Library in Wellington holds a letter from Emily Harris to Alexander Horsburgh Turnbull (1868-1918), the collector and bibliophile whose name and collections were given to the library when it was established in 1919. Emily’s letter in the file of inward correspondence is accompanied by a clipping of her obituary in Read More…
Tag: emily cumming harris
NZ Mountain Flora goes live!
By Michele Leggott Botanical historian F Bruce Sampson thought Emily Harris’s illustrations of New Zealand mountain flora showed the artist’s concern for fine botanical detail as well as pleasing composition: The pen, ink and watercolour originals for the unpublished New Zealand Mountain Flora (PLATES 33 and 34) are superb examples of botanical illustration. They are Read More…
Drawing Lines: Emily’s diaries go live
By Michele Leggott Drawing Lines is the title we’ve given to our full transcription of Emily Harris’s diaries 1885-1891, to point out a connection with Writing Lines, the section devoted to Emily’s letters and diary excerpts 1860-1863. In 1860, Emily at 23 was an accomplished writer of lively prose and two fascinating poems, sole remnants Read More…
I do not like to burn: Emily Harris video goes live
Toyah Webb is our Summer Research Scholar for Summer 2020-21. Today she takes us on the journey of making ‘I do not like to burn’, a new creative project for the Emily Cumming Harris website. Making I do not like to burn was a creative, technical and – at times – physical challenge: How to Read More…
Treasure Hunting on Trade Me
Treasure Hunting on Trade Me By Catherine Field-Dodgson At the end of June this year, a friend alerted me to one of Emily Cumming Harris’s botanical prints for sale on the Trade Me website. I knew that the Alexander Turnbull Library had issued some print editions of Emily’s works in 1968, so I quickly jumped Read More…
Sisters at a Glance #1 Emily Cumming Harris
By Michele Leggott and Brianna Vincent Emily Cumming Harris 28 March 1837-5 August 1925 In March 1837 my little daughter Emily Cumming was born. She was a very pretty child with large blue eyes, could read easy words at two years old. She was born in England, Plymouth, Devon. (Sarah Harris, A brief account of Read More…
Emily Harris in Full Bloom
‘Emily Harris in Full Bloom’ By Catherine Field-Dodgson When I was working on my 2003 thesis ‘In Full Bloom: Botanical Art and Flower Painting by Women in 1880s New Zealand’, Emily Harris quickly became my favourite botanical/flower painter to research. Of all of the notes and research material I compiled 18-odd years ago, the Read More…
From Happy Valley to Siberia: Miss Kate Marsden
By Michele Leggott It is Wednesday 2 January 1889 and the campers at Happy Valley have just two more nights to enjoy themselves under the stars before heading back to Nelson and the start of another working year. Emily Harris records the moment in her diary: Our concert this evening was better as we had Read More…
Which Miss Harris?
By Michele Leggott Last week Ellen had a letter from Dr Taylor & some coloured views of London. He was in Kent, he intended visiting the Exhibition. His letters are always amusing, he wishes that we would get married so that our names might not harass him so. (30 May 1886) Emily Harris is amused Read More…
James Upfill Wilson Redux
By Brianna Vincent. Our recent James Upfill Wilson post didn’t include a photo of him. Despite extensive searches we had found possibilities but not probabilities. There was nothing that we could point to with a measure of confidence and say ‘we think this is him’. Our best guess was a photo of a photo in Read More…