Customer Reviews

Mrs. Delany and Her Circle (Yale Center for British Art)

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(This review is to be read along with the excellent "Editorial Reviews" on the Product Information webpage.)

Two words I would give greater emphasis: scholarly and beautiful. This is the big (approx. 12 x 10 x 1-1/4 in.) catalogue accompanying the exhibition at the Yale Center for British Art (New Haven, CT) and Sir John Soane's Museum (London). Mary Delany's artistic production (especially the flower collages) is seriously considered from several different perspectives in this lavish showcase--a beautifully designed book for the permanent library.

The two introductory essays give an informative & concise biography (by Alicia Weisberg-Roberts) of Mrs. Delany, and an overview (by Mark Laird) of the 12 scholarly essays that follow. I list the twelve essay titles here in shortened form: 1. "MD & the Court" by Clarissa Campbell Orr; 2. "MD's Embroidered Court Dress" by Clare Browne; 3. "Sartorial Politics in the Age of MD" by Hannah Greig; 4. "Theory & Practice of Female Accomplishment" by Amanda Vickery; 5. "MD's Paintings & Drawings" by Kim Sloan; 6. "MD: Epistolary Utterances & Natural History" by Maria Zytaruk; 7. "MD's Circles of Cutting & Embroidering in Home & Garden" by Mark Laird; 8. "MD's Natural History & Zoological Activities" by Janice Neri; 9. "The Botanical Horizons of MD" by John Edmondson; 10. "MD's Botanical Sources" by Lisa Ford; 11. "The 'Paper Mosaick' Practice of MD" by Kohleen Reeder; 12. "MD & Her Use of Paper" by Peter Bower.

After reading the book, I wanted more text AND more pictures of Delany's beautiful collages. This might be an indication that the editors & book designers got the balance just right.

Fascinating reading. Quite a remarkable woman. I was not aware of her botanical efforts before I bought the book. I was hoping for descriptions and photographs of her embroidery work. She is mentioned in many needlearts histories as an extremely talented and driven needlewoman and the few pictures I have seen of her embroidery are certainly outstanding and in the case of her knot-work quilt, exquisite. I'll keep searching for a book that covers more of her embroidery. In the meantime, I'll have the inspiration of her "flowers".