Always in Bloom!
The Glass Flowers at Harvard
By Hilda M. Morrill
August 14, 2009

It's been called the best-kept secret in Cambridge, Mass. Yet, visitors come from all over the world to see for themselves. They arrive by the thousands yearly - from Germany, Japan, England, Israel, Canada and the 50 states - to see the "Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants," or as the collection is more commonly known, "The Glass Flowers at Harvard."

The first time I saw the Glass Flowers I was a Girl Scout, seemingly a million years ago. Although their beauty intrigued me at the time, it was much later that I really came to appreciate them. That was when I attended a "High Tea at Harvard University" with a small group of members from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.

We enjoyed an elegant tea and dainty cakes before a fascinating lecture by the then administrative assistant. We found out that the unique handmade flowers, which are spectacular in their accuracy of form, were made by Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, a father-and-son team from Dresden, Germany, who were famous throughout the world for their mastery of glass making.

The Blaschkas were contacted by Professor George Lincoln Goodale, the first director of the Harvard Botanical Museum. Frustrated by the use of dried plant material to teach his students during the New England school year, Dr. Goodale had turned to wax, clay and papier-mâché models with disappointing results.

Familiar with the excellent Blaschka glass replicas of jellyfish and marine invertebrates in the adjoining Museum of Comparative Zoology, Dr. Goodale decided to contact the Blaschkas personally; and then he journeyed to Dresden to plead his case. As it turned out, in the 1860's the elder Blaschka, who was a weekend gardener with a keen interest in natural history, had made himself some models of flowers, mostly orchids, which were exhibited in a local museum.

The father and son reluctantly agreed to make a few models for Harvard and sent their first shipment to Cambridge in 1887. Even though the models were broken as they passed through customs, they impressed all who saw them, especially Ms. Elizabeth C. Ware, the widow of Dr. Charles Eliot Ware, a member of Harvard's class of 1834, and heir to the Ware Glass fortune.

Ultimately, Mrs. Ware and her daughter Mary Lee Ware urged Dr. Goodale to officially commission the Blaschkas to produce plant models for the University, and they would finance the project in memory of Dr. Ware. The contract was signed in 1890, and incredibly, the work continued until 1936 when Rudolph Blaschka retired, the elder Blaschka having died in 1895.

The Glass Flowers have been called "without equal, exquisite, spectacular, breathtaking, unparalleled, botanically accurate, and artistry in glass," just to mention a few of the glowing adjectives.

In their book "The Glass Flowers at Harvard," Dr. Richard Evans Schultes and William A. Davis wrote, "These models have been described as 'an artistic marvel in the field of science and a scientific marvel in the field of art' - certainly a more apt observation would be difficult to imagine."

Speaking of art and marvels, the photographs in the book taken by Hillel Burger, are also breathtaking. Not a nuance of form, texture, color or shading is missed. I am intoxicated by the fragrant water lily... seduced by the inviting depths of the Angel's Trumpet... and "stung" by the thousands of needles bursting from the prickly pear. My mouth waters at the sight of the strawberries, and I can "feel" the fuzz on the violet-blue flowers of the Jacaranda tree.

The cycles of life come to mind as I contemplate the incredible beauty of two iris stems - complete with glaucous spear-shaped leaves, emerging buds, both pristine and wilted blossoms, and the plump seed pods. The Blaschkas captured nature's treasures (some would say God's treasures) in all their majesty; and Hillel Burger captured the Blaschka's consummate artistry. Art imitating art?

In the mid 1990's I would enjoy a private tour of the collection with my dear friend Barbara Jean Segall, the noted English garden writer and editor. A Garden Writers Association colleague, Barbara was staying at our home while doing research for an article on the glass flowers to run in an English journal.

We were told that there are more than 3,000 pieces representing 170 plant families and 840 plant species. Many of the "plants" represent vegetables with economic significance.

If you've never visited The Glass Flowers, it's about time. You won't be disappointed. And the best part is that the weather or the time of year won't matter - for they're always in bloom!

The Ware Collection of "glass flowers" is one of several permanent exhibitions at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, located at 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Mass. on the Harvard campus. More than 150,000 visitors a year make the museum the University's most visited attraction.

For information on exhibits, classes and events, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu or call 617-495-3045. For group reservations or guided tours, call 617-495-2341.

Enjoy!

Hillel Burger photos are featured in a booklet of postcards, left, and the scholarly book, "The Glass Flowers at Harvard," right. (c) Hilda M. Morrill

(Note: Versions of this article written by Hilda M. Morrill have also appeared in print publications, such as "The Senior Times" and "The Cambridge Current.")