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The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life's Work At 72 (2010)

by Molly Peacock(Favorite Author)

3.82 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0771070330 (ISBN13: 9780771070334)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

McClelland & Stewart

review 1: What a pleasure to revisit the extraordinary work of Mrs. Delany! Molly Peacock does a first-rate job in this biography of the inventor of "paper mosaicks," i.e., the most extraordinary botanical renderings ever, assembled with tiny bits of colored paper. Starting at age 72, Mrs. Delany set out to create 1000 portraits of flowers. She completed 982 before her sight gave out. She never exhibited them publicly, although they were admired by the scientific and horticultural sets in her day - it was her descendants who made sure the mosaicks ended up in the British Museum and that her letters were published. I liked the way Peacock blended her own life challenges with those of her subject's - a sort of biographical twofer that somehow worked well.
review 2: One of ... morethose singular books that is like no other. Beautifully illustrated with Delany's collages, this is biography, autobiography, art book. You end up knowing so much about Delany, who led such a difficult, rich life, and quite a bit about Peacock herself. Details, details, telling details make the 18th century come to seem as present as the present. Peacock's poetic yet straight-forward prose is a delight. A feast for the eye and the mind. less

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