Mary Delany’s ‘Paper Mosaicks’ - A British Museum Talk
Event Date: 29/05/2025
Location: No1 ROYAL CRESCENT
Address: 1 ROYAL CRESCENT, BATH, BA1 2LR
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At the age of 72, Mary Delany (1700–1788) embarked on a remarkable project: over the next decade she created nearly a thousand cut-paper illustrations of flowers and plants, stopping only when her eyesight failed in 1784. Carefully cutting and pasting coloured papers onto black backgrounds, she created images that were not just exquisitely beautiful but also valued for their scientific accuracy. Mrs Delany’s ‘paper mosaicks’, as she called them, are now housed in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum. This talk will explore how these impressive works were made and connect them to wider histories of botanical illustration and female artistic achievement.
Dr Francesca Kaes is Monument Trust Curator of British Drawings in the Department of Prints and Drawings, British Museum.
29th May 2025 - No.1 Royal Crescent, Servants' Hall
1730 - 1800 - Exhibition entry for our current exhibition; The botanical world of Mary Delany and Georgie Hopton – A Domestic Arrangement
1800 - 1900 - Talk by Dr Francesca Kaes with time for questions after
Tickets - £12.00 for adults and £6.00 for concessions
Visitor information
This event will take place in our Servants' Hall. This is accessible via stairs or lift. Please contact us before booking, if you require this assistance and / or visit the accessibility page of our website: https://no1royalcrescent.org.uk/accessibility-info/
BPT reserves the right to cancel the event at short notice. If BPT cancel the event, ticket holders will be informed and can either visit on another date or receive a full refund.