Textile

Large hibiscus-like blossoms with furling leaves and a shimmery chevron ground lend this damask (a figured, reversible fabric) an uncommon air. Designed by Anna Maria Garthwaite in October of 1752, it shows her expertise in faithfully representing non-native, newly introduced flowers. Garthwaite was one of the most prolific and successful designers in Spitalfields, England’s silk weaving center in east London. While few details are known about Garthwaite’s personal life, scholars believe she was part of a circle of influential naturalists. This group included the botanical illustrator Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708–1770) and the merchant and plant collector Peter Collinson (1694–1768). Though botanical illustrations are known to have inspired some of Garthwaite’s designs, it is also likely she visited gardens and “greenhouses, stowed and crowded with vast varieties of exotic plants of surprising oddness and beauty.”