Harvard’s Incredible Glass Flowers

Incredible! That’s the word that kept popping into my head as I explored the Glass Flowers exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.  I first heard about this exhibit during an Intro to Glass Blowing class at the John C Campbell Folk School. During our class, we learned flamework techniques including glass sculpting and blowing with a propane torch.  Here’s one of the instructors, Tony Prince, demonstrating how to make a small glass tree.
While it looks easy when a pro like Tony does it, it’s not!  Glass flamework takes exceptional coordination and lots of practice.  My own meager attempt to blow a round Christmas ornament turned into an odd shape more like a vegetable.  Yet, I’m insanely proud of my pepper-like ornament!

My fellow students said the Glass Flowers were amazing and, boy oh boy, were they right!

Not only are the botanical models impressive in their detailed accuracy but the fact they’re made of glass and wire with the simplistic equipment used at the time (1886 – 1936) is simply mind blowing.  Here’s the lampworking bench believed to have been used in the making of the Glass Flowers.

As a case in point, instead of adjusting the flame of a propane-fueled torch with the simple turn of a dial as is done today, they used foot-operated bellows to provide a stream of air to intensify the flame of the lamp. The bellows are below the desk.

Being able to manipulate glass to the precision needed to replicate real life plants and flowers is just incredible.  I am in awe!  Let’s look at an example to prove this isn’t an exaggeration.  Here’s a photo of the Malus pumila, aka apple, flower in glass.  Please note this photo was taken through the glass display case under harsh showroom lights so it’s not as clear as it could be.

And here’s a photo I took just 2 days earlier of apple blossoms in the Kingsbrae Garden in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.  Incredible, right?

Each specimen is shown with flowers (if any) along with magnified sections of significant parts.  Here’s the display for the Lathyrus splendens with the common name of Pride of California or Wild Pea.  It’s very similar to the flower we know as Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus).

Here’s a closeup of the flower blossoms.

The story behind the glass flower models is fascinating.  Here’s the explanation provided at the Exhibition along with a few more photos.
“Tradition of Glass Making   Leopold Blaschka was born into a family of glass workers on May 27, 1822 in Böhmisch Aicha, now the Czech Republic.  Like his father and grandfather, Leopold Blaschka embraced the family tradition.  He built a vibrant business producing jewelry and other fine goods, as well as more practical items such as laboratory equipment and glass eyes.”

“From Father to Son   After Leopold was commissioned to make sea anemones for Dresden’s natural history museum in 1863, he began to focus on scientific model making.  Gifted with exceptional aptitude as a flameworker and a love of natural history, 19-year-old Rudolf joined the family business in 1876.  Together, they supplied invertebrate marine models to private collectors, museums and universities worldwide, attracting the attention of Harvard’s first Botanical Museum Director, George Lincoln Goodale …”

“Pursued by Harvard   In Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, Harvard Botanical Museum Director George Goodale had found a source for scientifically accurate plant models for study and display.  Goodale actively lobbied a reluctant Leopold and in 1886, finally persuaded the father and son duo to create a small selection of plant models for Harvard University.  Entranced by the models’ beauty and accuracy, Boston residents Elizabeth C. Ware and her daughter Mary Lee Ware agreed to finance the creation of an entire collection.”

“To Model the Plant World   In 1890, Goodale’s persistence was rewarded when the Blaschkas signed an exclusive 10-year contract with Harvard University to create the Ware Collection of Glass Models of Plants.  Leopold and Rudolf completed the majority of the collection before Leopold’s death in 1895.  In the nearly four decades to follow, Rudolf dedicated himself to producing plant models for Harvard, all the while experimenting with innovative materials and techniques.”

Another interesting aspect to the story was the research the Blaschkas conducted. “This photograph of Rudolf Blaschka (right) and botanist William Ganong (left) was taken in 1892 during one of several field trips to the Caribbean and the United States.  In order to create accurate models, Rudolf observed and collected specimens, made drawings and took detailed notes to document plant forms and colors.  The Blaschkas used field specimens as references for 312 of the models created for the collection.”

The Glass Flowers exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History is… well… incredible!   Whether you’re interested in flowers and gardening or fine glasswork, it’s well worth seeing.

More Info

You can learn more about the Glass Flowers: The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants exhibition at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, Massachusetts on their website.

My first experience working with glass was at a Gilbert Glassworks’ workshop, in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.  You can read about that experience in my post A True Hot Glass Experience.  Then I attended a week-long Intro to Glass Blowing class at the John C Campbell Folk School.  You can learn more about the folk school on their website or in my post A Makers’ Playground.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Fellow enthusiasts are a great source of recommendations for experts to admire, exhibits to see and places to visit.
2. Consider examining the work of experts in a medium that interests you.
3. Seek out examples of work that push the limits and make the impossible possible.