ROUPELL (ARABELLA)]

Specimens of the Flora of South Africa by a Lady, FIRST EDITION, [Printed by W. Nichol, Shakespeare Press, 1849]

Footnotes

Arabella Roupell was resident in South Africa between 1843 and 1845, where she was encouraged in her botanical paintings by Nathaniel Wallich (1785–1854), superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, who happened to be on leave at the Cape at the time. He also "assisted in the collection and identification of the various species which she painted... [and persuaded her] to allow him to take some [of her studies] to England, with a view to their being published. In England he showed them to the director of Kew Gardens, Sir William Hooker, who was struck by their beauty and accuracy" (ODNB). When published Roupell's fine plates were accompanied by descriptions written by William Harvey, curator of the herbarium at Trinity College, Dublin.

Loosely inserted is a letter addressed to Roupell ("Madame!"), sent on behalf of the Bavarian Society for Botany at Ratisbon [Regensburg Botanical Society], praising "The publication, with which you have enriched also my own library, has won the admiration of botanist, who saw it, by the truth and the elegance of your splendid pensil [sic]...", and announcing that the Society "feels particular satisfaction in bearing testimony of your scientific art by a Diploma...", dated Munich, 3 September 1851, and signed "Dr. Martius". This Martius is presumably Theodore (1796-1863), son of Ernest Martius (died 1849), the co-founder of the Society. ODNB records this event noting that Roupell's "skill as a botanical artist was recognized in Germany by her election as a member of the Regensburg Society of Arts. In 1857 the Swiss botanist, Meissner, named a species of Protea, roupelliae, after her."

Provenance: Gifted by Elizabeth Chute Roupell, the artist Arabella's daughter-in-law, to Illtyd Buller Pole-Evans (Welsh-born South African botanist, 1979-1968) on 28 September 1935, inscription pasted on front free endpaper. Beneath this inscription is another, "The authoress of this work was Mrs. T.B. Roupell, wife of a Madras civilian. This book belonged as Major-General Francis Archibald Reid C.N. of the Madras army who was much interested in botany. Catherine Anne Reid", and then signed by Pole Evans too. Arabella's husband Thomas was an official with the East India Company, posted in Madras both prior and after their several sojourns in South Africa.