Elizabeth Twining (1805-1889)

Born into the famous tea dynasty, Elizabeth Twining had the financial security to pursue both her interest in botany and good works. She studied art and drawing as part of her upper-class education and became a skilled portraitist of plants and flowers. By 1849 she had published two volumes of her Natural Order of Plants which included 160 hand-colored lithographs in a folio format, based on drawings she made at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew. The lithographed plates depict plants arranged by botanical families placing British plants alongside those from other countries producing novel groupings of plants seldom seen together. Twining was also a champion for social reform. A true Victorian lady and practicing member of the Church of England, Twining believed that her work lay in bridging the gap between rich and poor. She was a strong believer in education for women and its power to span all the social classes. She encouraged the planting of window boxes for institutions such as hospitals and prisons, set up a temperance hall, and established a hospital for the treatment of the poor.