Evening star., 1938-11-20
By Leila Mechlin.

seen here In washington during the
season is quite as remarkable as
their multiplicity. OF unique inter-
est at this time is the exhibition OF
paintings in water colors of the flora
Of the Isthmus of Panama by Marie
Louise Evans, set forth in the foyer
Of the United States National Mu-
scum, Constitution avenue at Tenth
street, under the patronage OF His
Excellency the Minister of Panama,
Senor DR.. Don Augusta S. Boyd. Mrs.
Evans has, 1t is understood, painted
for only six years, but her technique
is both accomplished and assured.
Accompanying her husband, noted
authority on the woods of the tropics,
on expeditions into the interior OF
the Isthmus of Panama, she has
painted the flowers Of that region
in their native habitat with sclen-
tiflc as we'll as artistic interest. Bo-
tanically accurate and therefore OF
exceptional value to scientists In this
leld. they are rendered-which Is
'musual-with especial freedom and
5ensitiveness of feeling.
With the widespread interest In
gardening and horticulture, the lat
ter emphasized by annual flower
shows of outstanding importance,
flower paintings today make a wide
appeal: but in the current exhibl-
ton the artist brings to our public
a great variety of flowers heretofore
unknown to the majority of garden
makers in the United States. In
fact, a citizen of this country could
not feel stranger If set down on an
other continent among utterly un-
known inhabitants than the aver
age garden lover, intimately familiar
with the flora of North America,
must feel upon a first visit to this
exhibition. This is perhaps the f1rst
impression that the visitor derives,
together with immediate delight oc-
casioned by richness OF color and
strength of presentation.
There is something essentially
tropical in these flowers of Panama
which Mrs. Evans, through her artis-
tic skill, introduces to us, not only
in their color and character, but
also in their evident luxuriance-
something which brings to mind the
feeling and the spirit of the tropics,
generous to opulence, subtle to the
verge of the sinister. Combined with
a richness of color in many IN
stances is strangeness of form,
which allures and at the same time
repels. Many of the flowers that
Mrs. Evans has painted are fame
colored. and in the midst OF heavy
green foliage they are gorgeous in
deed. Others are equally extreme in
delicacy of texture and tint; for eX-
ample, lavendar shading into. white
and so fragile that it would seem
as though a breath would shatter
them, and yet they are brought forth
by nature in great abundance, IN
multiple clusters rather than in sin
gle blossoms.
Many of the flowers represented
are forerunners of fruit, strangely
shaped and engaging in color, grow
ing and maturing simultaneously,
and in some instances on the same
branch and twig as the blossoms.
For the most part these flowers are
apparently found on shrubs and
trees rather than close to the
ground; in other words, not OF the
garden variety. In almost every in
stance, in spite of their splendor,
they possess a certain incongruous
shyness, as do all wild creatures,
whether of the animal or OF the
vegetable kingdom, in places rarely
visited by man. Some OF them give
the suggestion of butterflies resting
in flight, others have an unearthli-
ness of purity, as of things not
meant to be gazed upon by human
eyes.
Mrs. Evans transcriptions are
very faithful, but not necessarily pre-
else. She uses transparent wash on
white paper, and leaves the unes-
sential unsaid, but not at the ex-
pense of veracity In almost every
instance she pictures the flowers and
fruit of Panama as growing, rather
than plucked. She apparently does
not attempt arrangements, but she
makes her choice of subject with
care. Because of lack of precision
and arrangement, the designer will
not find these paintings especially
adapted to his or her purpose, but
to the flower lover they cannot fail
to make a strong appeal. This en-
gaging collection will remain on
view through November 20.
FloUer and Fruit Prints OF a
Century and More Ago
Assembled By Gordon
Dunthorne.
1t is an interesting coincidence
that at the very time when the
collection of paintings by Mrs. Evans
of the flora of Panama Is on ex-
hibition in the National Museum,
Gordon Dunthorne's Flower and
Fruit Prints of the 18th and Early
10th Centuries first compre-
hensive and authoritative work on
this subject-should be issued by the
Lakeside Press of Chicago. In his
foreWord to this monumental and
impressive volume, Mr.. Duntherne
who is we'll known as an enthusiast
tic print lover, especially here in
Washington. where he has long re-
sided) tells how, almost by chance,
his interest in flower prints was
awakened and the work begun.
John Edwards "A Collection of
Flowers, Drawn After Nature and
Disposed in an Ornamental and
Picturesque Manner" came into his
possession and made him aware of
the dearth of informative material
on the subject. Seeking to increase
his own knowledge of the origin and
history of these prints, he discov-
cred the complete lack of any pub
lished material, and the farther he
continued the search the deeper
grew his interest, the difficulties of
pursuit adding to the zest of the
pursuer.
Mr.. Dunthorne's father was one
of the leading print sellers OF Lon