Liz Perks

Miss Lawrence, as she was widely known, possibly because of her profession as a teacher of botanical drawing, will go down in rose history as the person who published the first book in Britain to be dedicated to the rose. ‘A Collection of Roses from Nature’ (1799), a book of flower paintings, portrays an unusual and beautiful frontispiece followed by ninety paintings of roses all drawn, engraved and hand coloured by Miss Lawrence herself. The original art work is now held in the collections of the New York public library. It is believed that all her paintings were taken from real rose specimens and then not only painted by her but engraved, hand coloured, printed, published and marketed by  her. Consider this being achieved by a woman in the late  18^th century. She must have been a diligent woman with many talents.

The frontispiece to ‘A Collection of Roses from Nature’ by Mary Lawrence

Exhibiting at The Royal Academy in 1795 and also in later years her painting skill should not be questioned. Exhibiting was important to her as the ability to do so gave her credibility as a botanical drawing teacher in her home city of London. It is recorded that she had ‘much personal charm’ (‘Genus Rosa’ p 92 Willmott 1910-1914) her classes were in great demand. It seems as well as being talented and personable she was acquainted with some well connected people who supported her in her ventures. The Royal Academician Joseph Farington recorded in his diary  in 1804 that she met him at the Academy with a note of recommendation from Charles Greville, brother to Lord Warwick.

Miss Lawrence started compiling her Rose book in 1793, although the earliest plate is dated 1796. It was originally published in thirty parts as was usual at that time. It has been questioned as to how she managed to compile ninety different varieties of rose as the previous known number of twent-nine was listed  by John Parkinson in the 17th century. (Paradisi in Sole Paradisi Terrestris 1629). Ellen Willmott (ref. above) suggests that Miss Lawrence was furnished with her roses by the nurseries of Lee and Kennedy who were the leading nursery of the day and situated in London not far from the Queen Anne Street home of Miss Lawrence. She records that other nurserymen also provided her with specimen roses as it was regarded as an honour for the owner and the rose to be painted by her.

In 1813 Mary Lawrence married Thomas Kearse. She continued to work and exhibit and did so until 1830. Willmott suggests she died at this time but it is possible that she stopped exhibiting only as  her dates are recorded as 1776 – 1845.

Beautiful paintings from ‘A Collection of Roses from Nature’

Since the publication of a ‘Collection of Roses from Nature’ there has been both admiration and criticism expressed regarding her skill as a painter of roses. It seems that some feel it necessary to compare her paintings with those of Redoute who undoubtedly was one of the best, if not the best, painter of roses that has ever lived. Since the publication of ‘Les Roses’ (1817 – 1824) which includes beautiful paintings by him, comparisons of their work have been made and she does not fair too well being regarded  as an enthusiastic amateur who did not have the requisite painting skills. Perhaps it is flattering though  that it is thought that such a comparison could be made. It seems ironical that she made her living from painting and when her book was published demand far outstripped the publication numbers. Most copies are held by museums and libraries, with the Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library holding one, but in 1958 a copy was sold by Sothebys for £840, in 1987 they sold a copy for £35,200 and at the present day there is a copy for sale in a London rare book shop for £50,000. Rather hefty prices for the works of an ‘amateur’. Perhaps her  critics, such as Blunt ‘The Art of Botanical Illustration’ (1950) p 211 and Dunthorne ‘Flower and Fruit Prints of the 18^th and early 19^th Centuries’ would now realise that their unnecessary destructive criticism was ignored, if even read.

Considering the year of publication with its associated conditions such as the lack of electric light, the limited availability of materials, the limitations of printing techniques etc this commentary by Miss Willmott seems fair:

“Her book on roses was published in 1799, and  the demand was far in excess of the number of copies printed. At the time it created much sensation, as nothing like it had been published before and Roses were beginning to take prominent place in gardens and were rapidly gaining in popularity. Miss Lawrance married Mr Kearse in 1813, but she continued exhibiting and giving lessons until her death in 1830. The admiration excited by her flower pictures was partly due to the purity and  delicacy of their colouring. She always attached great importance to the quality of her colours which were all prepared at her own house and under her own supervision. The only other flower book published by her was ‘A Selection of Passion Flowers’ 1799-1800.”  

Genus Rosa Vol. 1 p 92.

“This story is an extract from a biography of Rebecca Foster currently being written”

The artist R A Foster came into my life quite by chance and for a frustratingly long time s/he remained just that, an artist or more specifically a painter named ‘R A Foster’. I had no idea whether s/he was male or female but I suspected from the style and subject of the paintings s/he may be female although one should never make stereotypical assumptions. After remaining nameless for months it was a eureka moment when I discovered, from an art auction site, that she was actually Rebecca Ann.  I was then able to start searching for further information in earnest knowing that I had a good chance of researching the correct person. I wanted to put a face to the name and create the real person called Rebecca Ann Foster.

The discovery of this name, this person who has come to mean so much to me, was inevitable. Being an avid collector of rose memorabilia and ephemera as well as rose books and paintings it is not surprising that I found the name ‘R A Foster’ on a postcard which showed a vase of colourful roses. I expect at the time I was looking for cards illustrating the rose paintings of  Catharina Klein which I collect. Klein’s cards are easily recognisable and collectible as she has painted over two thousand pictures of flowers and fruit for the postcard publishers. Her cards are from the early years of the 20^th century and bring my love of this period of history, art and flowers together. Over time as I collected these cards I gathered together a chosen selection of other beautiful card paintings of roses by other artists. Cards with the name R A Foster seemed to emerge on a regular basis.

The more cards I found with the distinctive R A Foster signature the more I needed to find out about her as a person. I have discovered many more of Rebecca’s paintings on cards since that very first card while I have been researching into her history. Now I have quite a sizeable collection. This has instigated the catalogue of her cards at the end of this story about her flowers, which I hope will help any future collectors. I must admit although I have  come across several other artists  who were painting roses and other flowers for postcards there are few I like quite so much as hers and no other artists apart from Catharina Klein seem to have been as successful.

The more cards I found with the distinctive R A Foster signature the more I needed to find out about her as a person. I have discovered many more of Rebecca’s paintings on cards since that very first card while I have been researching into her history. Now I have quite a sizeable collection. This has instigated the catalogue of her cards at the end of this story about her flowers, which I hope will help any future collectors. I must admit although I have  come across several other artists  who were painting roses and other flowers for postcards there are few I like quite so much as hers and no other artists apart from Catharina Klein seem to have been as successful.

In the early years of the 20th century, after the printing of postcards allowed for one side to be dedicated to a picture, there was a boom in postcard publishing. When looking at the postcards that have survived from this time today it is evident a large proportion of the British public wanted to send short messages to friends and family, collect cards for their albums or send postcards to others for collecting. The surge in postcard sales was greatest before the first war but it continued into the 1920s to a lesser degree. It was only after the war that Rebecca sold paintings for postcards although evidence shows  she started painting professionally in 1898. Roses, at this time, were also very popular with new varieties being grown, rose shows that exhibited these new plants and the National Rose Society promoting the rose. It was steadily growing in popularity and being supported by a greater cross section of society. More  people generally were becoming interested in gardening and the growing of roses. It is not surprising, therefore, that many flower postcards were dedicated to the rose.

From 1898 Rebecca painted many works, all of flowers as far as I know. I have seen one or two pencil sketches of children by her but no finished works. From 1898, when at art college or soon after until her death in 1951 she painted avidly producing many works for exhibition both at local galleries and those further afield. In later years she painted for the postcard but she did not give up exhibiting her colourful flower paintings. Her paintings must be scattered far and wide adorning the homes of many who appreciate her work. I have a small collection of her original work which I cherish, some prints and many postcards. Further works occasionally come up for sale but not often and strangely they command quite a range of prices.

In this story about her life and her flowers I have tried to encapsulate a talented artist, a keen lover of flowers and a truly successful woman of her time who deserves to be remembered as such. I hope she would approve of what I have to say and to forgive me for any limitations. I have searched for detail from a number of sources but this did not take on a human perspective until I was contacted by her great granddaughter who has helped me with so much knowledge. Information from  ancestry websites, the Nottinghamshire Archives, galleries and auction houses remained specifically factual  until it was placed within a human context.

At the end of the booklet I have listed all the cards, of which I am aware,  that show her paintings. I hope that I have done this in a manner that the collector can tick off the ones s/he has and add any of the many I have not found.

Has your eye ever been caught by the beautiful Worcester porcelain pottery covered with the old fashioned roses of yesteryear? I have often lingered by the shelves at the antique fairs and coveted many a pot pourri jar or tall elegant vase. I have  two small examples but the decision not to buy more has usually been influenced by the cost and the fear of breakage.

We have James Hadley to thank for these gorgeous rose designs painted on the fine pottery made in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. By 1870 James Hadley had become the principal modeller at Royal Worcester Porcelain but in 1875 he left to set up his own modelling studio. However, he was contracted to sell the complete output of his ornamental vases and figurines to Royal Worcester, with his name inscribed on the base of his master models.

A drop in demand for luxury goods at the end of the 19^th century led to James Hadley’s contract with Royal Worcester being cancelled. Not to be defeated he rented factory space from an old friend, Edward Locke, before building his own factory in 1897. His early production focused on his distinctive decorative art pottery. Employing a team of young talented artists including William Jarman, Walter Powell, Arthur Lewis, Walter Sedgley, Albert Shuck, Kitty Blake and Mary Eaton, his beautiful roses were painted and immortalised. Other designs included peacocks and game birds.

The softly painted roses in full bloom became known as the Hadley Roses even though his team of artists were responsible for their painting. It was not traditional for a piece of pottery to be signed before 1900 but if you do have one signed by one of these painters you are truly fortunate. There are items painted by some of them dated well into the 20^th century; each pottery piece has marks that allow it to be dated accurately.

In 1900 Hadley and Sons became a limited company but in 1905 James Hadley died and Royal Worcester purchased his factory. In 1906 all the workforce, moulds and designs moved to the main Royal Worcester factory. The letter ‘H’ was added to the Royal Worcester design number on the base of its pieces when they produced the Hadley designs. These changes can help date some of the pieces from around the turn of the 20th century.

As the century progressed new names were added to the group of talented artists painting these iconic rose masterpieces. One such artist Mildred ‘Millie’ Hunt is now very popular with collectors as her pieces portray very traditional Hadley Roses. Her pots range between 1926 and 1950.  Other names include James Llewellyn, Gladys Farley, Harry Austin and John Ansell.

Changing fortunes led to a merger between Royal Worcester and Spode in 1976 and due to heavy competition from overseas the production was switched to factories in Stoke on Trent and abroad. Sadly from the year 2000 onwards the production of this historic porcelain continued to decline with the workforce shrinking. Finally the company went into administration in 2008 with the last production of Royal Worcester being in 2009. Having been founded in 1751, over 250 years of producing beautiful porcelain works of art came to a dramatic and extremely sad end with the closure of Royal Worcester. Another thread of our social tapestry lost for ever.

Portmeiron did acquire the brand name and intellectual property but 2009 saw the end of Royal Worcester Porcelain.