Pray is J. Calyptrifolia engraved yet?
210 years ago, On This Day – 16th December 1812, Ellen wrote to Dawson Turner again, just nine days after her last letter and in today’s letter she said that she would write again in a few days. The letter she was responding to has not survived. The spur to write, even though she was very ill, included thanking Dawson Turner and his wife for sending etchings to her. She was also impatient to hear whether the engraving of a liverwort, Jungermannia calyptrifolia, had yet been made for use in William Jackson Hooker’s book, British Jungermanniae. The hand coloured engraving is shown above.
Do look back at the post for 7th December if you want to start the story Here Below are some notes to explain topics covered in the 16th December letter. Either read these first, or go straight to the letter Here.
Winter and illness
Ellen suffered from long periods of illness throughout her life, and not only in winter, though often she makes comments, as here, about hoping to ‘get relief when warm weather comes’.
Mrs Turner’s Etchings
From the book, Dawson Turner, A Norfolk Antiquary and his remarkable family, I learnt the following:
Dawson Turner’s wife, Mary, learnt etching from James Sowerby (of English Botany fame). He had stayed at the Turner’s home in 1804 while executing plates for Turner’s publication, Muscologiae Hibernica. ‘She also received unstinting long-term help in etching from William Camden Edwards of Bungay. One of her most brilliant etchings is a portrait of Cotman that surpasses the original drawing by J.P.Davies.’ John Sell Cotman was drawing master to the Turner daughters and Mary from 1812 – 23. He was paid generously and came to the house almost every day. Mary became highly skilled in both drawing and etching.
In line with the times, learning was predominantly by copying. The etchings by Mary Turner in this period are portraits. There is a sizeable collection online at the National Portrait Gallery, London’s website. Here
‘Improving your mind and taste’ in Bantry
Ellen lived for some time (before 1805) at 16 Harcourt Street, Dublin, in the family home of Dr Whitley Stokes (1863 – 1845), eminent physician and polymath, so she would have known what Dublin offered culturally. The Bantry area 210 years ago obviously fell far short of this in her estimation. What if she could see it now – with its rich arts and cultural life all year round, boosted by the various Festivals including the Literary, Chamber Music, Masters of Tradition, Chief O’Neill, Fit Up Theatre and of course the Ellen Hutchins. There is the Library, the Historical and Archaeological Society, Book Clubs, Bookshop, Museum and more. There are many artists, crafts people and other creatives based locally. There are so many reasons for loving to live there, being proud of the place and for making a visit. I think that Ellen would have a very different view now about ‘the possibility of gratifying’ a ‘desire for mental cultivation’ in Bantry, West Cork.
Follow the links for some examples of Bantry’s culture and creativity:
https://bantryhistorical.com/localhistory
https://www.facebook.com/Ilovebantry/
Botany and beauty
Ellen wrote ‘the appearances are so remarkable & so handsome that I think they all deserve to be drawn.’ She had a strong appreciation of beauty as well as interest in the botanical details of the plants, algae and lichens that she studied. The letter shows the careful attention she gave to her study of the various species mentioned and her serious science. Her passion for and pleasure in plants also comes through with descriptions such as ‘J Turneri which is another of my little darlings’.
Botany by numbers including English Botany
Where Ellen could not identify a specimen, she allocated it a number. From her plant list and letters, it is clear that to begin with she starts at No.1 in each genus. Here we have No 235 for a Jungermannia [liverwort]. She must have refined her numbering system. Her plant list and additions from later letters give a total of 65 Jungermanniae that Ellen found.
There was another use of numbers in botany at this time. The books Ellen was contributing to, Turner’s on Fuci [seaweed] and Hooker’s on Jungermanniae, came out in sections or instalments, called numbers.
English Botany was issued in 267 monthly parts, making 36 volumes, over 23 years, 1790 to 1814. See the Wiki entry for a good description of it. Its popularity was based on having a high quality image of each species alongside a very brief description. In Ellen’s view accurate illustrations were essential. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Botany
Another On This Day post like this one will be made for 6th February 2023 and before the end of the year, I will post a transcription of all the 1812 letters. The transcription of all the 1811 letters can be accessed Here. Earlier ‘On This Day’ posts with notes on letters in early 1811 start Here.
Read the letter Ellen wrote on 16th December 1812 Here.
Madeline Hutchins
Researcher on Ellen Hutchins and her great-great-grandniece
16th December 2022