Archives and Manuscript Collections
Personal Papers
FRANCES W. HORNE PAPERS (1924-1966))
7.5 linear inches (2 boxes)
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Frances Worth Horne (1873-1967) was a botanical illustrator who composed
watercolors of Puerto Rican flora for Nathaniel Lord Britton's unfinished
work, Flora Borinquena. She was born in Watkins Glen, New York and
obtained a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and a master's
degree in languages from Cornell University. She began her career as professor
of classical languages at Westminster College in Colorado. She and her
husband, Charles E. Horne, relocated to Puerto Rico in 1918 where they
lived until Mr. Horne died in 1963. During her years on the island she
created hundreds of watercolor illustrations of its flora and birdlife,
and her botanical artwork gained an international reputation.
In 1922 Mrs. Horne wrote to Britton expressing her interest in contributing
watercolors of Puerto Rican flowering plants to The Botany of Porto
Rico and the Virgin Islands. He was unable to include her illustrations
in this publication, but she eventually contributed her artwork to the
New York Botanical Garden journal, Addisonia. At Britton's death
in 1934, Flora Borinquena was left unfinished, though Mrs. Horne
had completed over 700 watercolors of native and naturalized Puerto Rican
plant species for the work. In 1963, Mrs. Horne presented her collection
as a gift to The New York Botanical Garden. She also painted the Caribbean
bird life in and contributed illustrations to Common Trees of Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands (1967) by Elbert Little, Frank Wadsworth,
and Jose Marrero. Frances Horne died at the age of 94 in Albany, New York.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The Frances W. Horne Papers consist of photocopied typescripts, correspondence,
research notes, and related artwork. One typescript is collected in a bound
volume. The artwork has been separated from the collection and transferred
to the Garden's Art & Illustration Collection #35.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Research Papers
Series 3: Manuscripts and Typescripts
Series 4: Artwork
Series 1 Correspondence, 1924-1966
1.0 lin. in. Arranged alphabetically.
This series contains 5 files of correspondence with Garden scientific
and administrative staff.
Series 2 Research Papers, c 1935
1.0 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
Series 2 consists of an index, table of contents, and lists of plants
for Flora Borinquena.
Series 3 Manuscripts and Typescripts, c 1933
5.0 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
Two photocopied typescripts, a bound volume, and 7 files of plant descriptions
can be found in this series.
Series 4 Botanical Illustrations
Arranged by subject.
All artwork has been transferred to the New York Botanical Garden Art
& Illustration Collection #35.
RELATED COLLECTIONS
The New York Botanical Garden
PP Percy Wilson Papers
RG4 Nathaniel Lord Britton Records
Processed April 1999 by David Rose under a grant from
the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) PA-23141-98 and a grant
from the Harriet Ford Dickenson Foundation.
For more information and a complete description contact:
Susan Fraser, NYBG
Archivist
The LuEsther T. Mertz Library
The New York Botanical Garden
Bronx, NY 10458-5126
(718) 817-8879
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