Maschek’s botanical drawings are usually to scale, as demonstrated by Angraecum sesquipedale, whose extraordinarily long spur necessitated the addition of an extra sheet of thinner paper. This epiphyte, which originates in Madagascar, is known as “Darwin’s orchid”; in 1862, the naturalist postulated the existence of a moth with a proboscis long enough to pollinate it, and such a moth was indeed discovered two decades after Darwin’s death. By contrast, Angraecum pertusum (Listrostachys pertusa) is scaled down and set in a wooden planter designed to facilitate air flow and drainage, with rings for suspending it from above, providing a clue to how these plants would have been grown in Baron Hruby’s greenhouses. Note the artist’s signature on the planter’s lower righthand corner.
More Exhibit Items
Caroline Maschek (1857–1938), 1885, 24 x 31.5 cm, gouache on tinted Bristol paper, dated “Janner 885”
Caroline Maschek (1857–1938), 1885, 24 x 31.5 cm, gouache on tinted Bristol paper, dated “Janner 885”
Caroline Maschek (1857–1938), 1884–91, 24 x 31.5 cm, gouache on tinted Bristol paper, dated “Juni,” added in pencil “Costa Rica”
Caroline Maschek (1857–1938), 1886, 24 x 31.5 cm, gouache on tinted Bristol paper, dated “April 886”
Caroline Maschek (1857–1938), 1884–91, 24 x 31.5 cm, gouache on tinted Bristol paper, dated “Juni”
Caroline Maschek (1857–1938), 1884–91, 24 x 31.5 cm, gouache on tinted Bristol paper, dated “Juni”
Caroline Maschek (1857–1938), 1884–91, 24 x 31.5 cm, gouache on tinted Bristol paper, signed “KBM”
Caroline Maschek (1857–1938), 1884–91, 31.5 × 24 cm, with additional sheet of thin paper measuring 28.5 × 24 cm, gouache on tinted Bristol paper
Alice Tangerini (b. 1949), 1998, 14 x 17 in., drawing pen, brush, and ink on Denril Multi-media film. Loan, Alice Tangerini / Smithsonian Institution
Alice Tangerini (b. 1949), 2015, 14 3/4 x 19 in., drawing, pen, brush, and ink on Denril Multi-media film. On loan, Alice Tangerini / Smithsonian Institution
Alice Tangerini (b. 1949), 1992, 11 1/2 × 15 3/8 in., drawing, pen and ink on Cronaflex Drafting film. Loan, Alice Tangerini / Smithsonian Institution
Amy Lamb (b. 1944), 2004, 50.8 x 50.8 cm, pigment print of photograph. Loan, Amy Lamb