Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-13
Women S Clubs
Exhibition of DRAWINGS

A collection of 100 water color draw
ings. botanical sketches of wild flowers
by Louise Hutchinson, were shown at
a Tuesday afternoon tea at the Friday
Morning club. They are interesting
from several points of view, being
handled more broadly and artistically
than is usual in work for botanical pur-
poses, and yet presenting the detail
necessary for the study and classified
ton of the plant and flower; they also
represent the nucleus of what is to be-
come the art treasures and inspirations
of the Nithsdale school, San Rafael
ranch, and from which already one
little play has been conceived and writ
ten by one of the pupils. The idea or
iginated and has been brought into a
reality by Miss Mary FOy, whose efforts
and interest to make this school an
ideal one, are we'll known.
Besides cultivating an appreciation
in the young students there for the
beauties of nature, these drawings form
a record Of many wild flowers that are
fast disappearing from Southern Cali
fornia with its rapidly increasing popu-
lation, which brings to mind a reason
for preserving the arroyo in its natural
state.
All of the>fowers represented in these
100 drawings were found on the San
Rafael ranch, and many of the speci-
mems gathered by Miss Foy herself,
and it was for the purpose Of having
these drawings executed that she gave
the "Alice in Wonderland garden fete
last summer as a benefit for the Niths-
dale school, something of a similar
nature to be repeated this spring.
Miss Hutchinson has devoted her
self to this botanical work for the past
two years, and her private collection,
embracing wild flowers from all parts
of the state now numbers $50. AS the
botanical records of the flora of this
section is very limited the work being
accomplished by this artist will prob
ably greatly assist in completing the
list She has been a resident Of the
state for many years, and was super
visor of drawing in the schools of Los
Angeles a number of terms. Two stu
dents of mechanical drawing in the Los
Angeles high school have rendered as
sistance in this work by doing the let
tering for the names of the flowers.
They are David Conrey and Francis
Hart, whose work is we'll done.
Among the very rare specimens rep
resented may be mentioned the Indian
pink, scarlet larkspur, Datura, choCo-
late lily, wild sumac and clematis.
Some of the species have as many
as twenty varieties, all of which Miss
Hutchinson is trying to secure. Her
colleclloH VI Tie ilulilS oUo - k,O0o'
lilies was about complete. The tree
that furnishes the bright red berry and
is commonly known as California holly,
out which bears no relation to the holly
family, was classified under the name
of Heteromeles Arbutifolia, a great deal
easier one being Christmas berry. The
berry of course is the fruit, and the
flower itself is a beautiful white clus-
ter which adorns the tree in the spring
time. Any seven of the duplicates of
these water colors may be had for SO
from the artist.
The Nithsdale collection which was
shown is to be hung in the main corri-
cor of that school, and it is hoped will
serve as suggestions to the pupils for
motifs in decoration and other are de-
velopments, together with imparting
knowledge of our wild flowers.
KATHRYN RUCKER.