New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-25
FLORA LIFELIKE IN GLASS.
THE STUDY or BOTANY AT HARVARD
AIDED BY A UNIQUE COLLECTION.
SKILLED GERMAN ARTISANS WHO HAVE HIT
UPON WAY or REPRODUCING PLANTS IN
a PERMANENT FORM IBERALITY OFs
MRS. AND MISS WARE.

MRS AND WARE.
Cambridge Mass. November a.
Harvard College is securing through the sagacity
and energy Of DR. George l.. Goodale. her able pro-
fesSor In botany. and the berality OF two women
n unique collection. in which the flora Of America
IS preserved as II has never been preserved De-
fore. in form in which Il can never lose its color
its shape, It's value object lesson 10 stu
dents in botany.
For than thirty years there has lived IN
Dresden, or Hosterwitz. a short distance from
Dresden. the Ebc family Of skilful artifcers
in glass. The father Of the present head o. this
house. Leopold Blas"hka. began life rs an artihcer
in silver and gold. ami afterward an appren-
,ice to a famous painter Later h began the manu-
facture glass marine Invertebrates gaining his
knowledge OF his subject by making studies ana
drawings voyage to America in a slow-sa.ins
vessel 1853. The only apprentice he ever adj
mitted - the mysteries OF his art his son Eu-
dolf and up to is& they continued in this line Of
glass work their models being sold TO museums in
various parts Of the world.
Or Gooda.c had long felt the importance OF pre-
serving flowers or the exac; models Of flowers. for
the use Of students He fc.t. ne expressed him
self in THE Harvard Graduates Magazine" that
flowers per.shablc. "and all preparations ~
flowers are more or less unsatisfactory. When
dried they distorted. whom placed In alcohol
they are robbed OF their color. when depicted on
canvas paper they necessarily more or less
conventionaliZad II could always secure such
drawings and paintings those OF Bauer and Isaac
Sprtguo. Of Mis- Marianne North at Kew, or OF
Mrs Charles Sargent In the Jcssup collection IN
Ncw-Nork. this objection would be waived. for
these drawings and paintings remarkably splr-
tied and truthful. Drawings can express. however,.
only fwo dimensions Of space. the third belongs 20
the Imagination. Returning. therefore. 10 solid
models instead Of pictorial II is 10
be said that flowers. when copied in wax become
- 49, ~
given in PAPER machc they are necessarily ehag-
geratel and grotesque. What remains In what
material plants and their magnihed parts be
rendered permanent
Or. Goodalc answered this question Unexpectedly
and most happily dav. while he was examining
for the hundredth time the synoptc collection IN
the Museum of Comparative Zoology. The Bias
glass models of marine Invertebrates suggested
possible solution OF the difficulty. In 49, Or. Good
ale made a visit to Dresden. He saw the Blaschkas
and suggested that they should make glass models
% flowers az they had OF the marine Invertebrates
but they positively declined TO listen 20 any propo
stlon. They had enough to do in their present
l!nc and the Harvard professor VAS about to give
~ IN despair when. by 4 lucky chanc-. n discov-
cred on shell IN the rcception-room a vase %
brilliant orchids. indicating to tho hoanist that
these glass-workcrs we're fond % flowers. This
opened the way for r. Goolalc's Last line OF at
tack He spoke Of their beauty. and was aston
!sheI when the Blaschkas told him that the howers
he So much admired made u glass. AMI that
they had stood uniniur'd. though without iroie'-
ton IN an open room for more than twenty years
II seemed TO DR. tioodalc that What hos" men
had once done they could DO again. and with
little diplomacy the way opened for ncsota-
tons
Two years later I'm tho fau NJ ~ pr Gooiale
received through the Ncw-York Custom House
box Of broken glass The stupid INSPECTORS had un-
packed the specimens sent b, the Haschka-. and I'm
reYackinE hal not used tho ordinary car" that
might have been expected "a king heavy crock
erv-ware and the fragile Invaluable Moral models
were all smashed Those fragments. however. indl-
crted the quality Of the work and wcr" eH-
hibitcd b. Dr. Goodale 70 class I'm botany
which h. had IN Boston under the au-pces ~ the
Woman's Educational Association Among others
who manifested a deep interest in the purchase 81
such specimens a. might be needed hy Harvard
College. for Illustration Wa Miss Mary J.. War;"
who at once appreciated the artistic "Nr'll"nc" ~
the work. Soon aft"rward sh" and her mother
authorized Dr Goolale 20 make provisional con-
tract with the Blasoh kas for certain number ~
models The new models arrived !n good ORDER. ana
proved entirely satisfactory. out Of this grew ~"
generous on.r of Mrs Elizabeth g. Ware AMI Mis-
Mary J.. Ware to max" this memorial 10 '"' '"''
New and enlarged contracts follo"c! ne maj
one. executed al ine consIii"r or,g' III t,,na
Welding a certain number Of models and details
,3r to +" cho ys1[ aors MIA and MIS- Var have
irft Dr Cioodale unhanpercd. For eieh' years
more the artists arr TO xiv" Harvard. cn terms
satisfactory to Themselves. IN" products o, th"ir
studio. Al prcs.nt Harvard has about ~ models
o, Towering plants. ana more man l'1' ahaN''"'
These MODELS arc constructed wholly o, glass.
part .: which IL color"d before and part aii- ~"
Completion OF he specimens. All the parts oi me
plants are reproduced With absolute ndclity. IN"
ninp'cr parts being ENLARGED under M inl'
as oGcaon rrgnr nara ARE Gg,GG easily @ ' in
The vicinity % Dresden Exotic rom '"n',". ann
South America scnt to DRESDEN and thrIe
models have a.so been made from studies Gatfi'l
by the younger Blaschka during WISH 20
years ago In thesc journcys n, made over 2oo
studies In color, col"ciing al the rcquiSnss
the university with the iilaschkas calls for about
ia compete specimens annually ior me mex,
illustrate the systematic relations ana The c,'-
rrincipa, ,cculiaiitcs OF The plant. especially ~
relations 10 rs sIrroundlnsS' are Clearly "io"'"'
The plan contempaics The Illustration Of The pin
c.prl types OF flow ring plants OF IN" American IT,
r. tacr with such cIypiograus a. can b. fni;hfuy
cured in the Asassiz Museum for the RECEPTION 81
threc rooms viii be- nllcI Win hcsc productions.
and before the expiration 81 III" existing contract
four rooms viii be needed for ih"m f , ne mot
and common names and The range are given. and.
%hen necessary. the fact Of cultivation.
Professor Goodale has been permitted 70 enter me
studio ana witness the construction Of The wonder
ful models He says II II not glass; moving. hi't
conditions Wnicn simple, ana with the lca~t
complicated instruments, thcy accomplish 'h'1 "'h-
der work The chief secrets are nrst. ihr pIepaii-
tlon OF the more fuslble sorts ~ GAS second ui
manIgcncnt o color; third the OF c'rnrnt'. ana
fourtl. methods OF annca.ins. In the H." ~
th-sc parts OF their art they WO.k a. one man 40
imDoriAnt step b. taken by either mill after con
sultaton VIII tho other. In some cases they Work
together single specimen. one making one par
~ the stcrn the other The other pnrts Fuch As leaves
or flowers. bat some OF the models ha'" hrti com
r,ci.d l,y one alon" Their marvellous rtpIity Of
execution Is astounding TO those most familiar WIN
%"r% 5o ~ has been permitted to sce them at their
work in their studio. Twice year the B!aschka9
al To :rcr exhibition hall the specimens deslgn'i
COR Inc Harvard Museum. Invitations are sent Tar
AMI aide. and a large number Of people ENJOY look
~ ma remarkable evidence Of skill II is unques-
ti,n~;'v unique collection. and ~ likely 10 remain
so COR n ong period. The collection Is Inspected ny
a good many people every month at the AgdsSi] |
Museum IA Cambridge.