Stones, Elsie Margaret (1920 - 2018)

Born on 28 August 1920 in Colac, Victoria; died on 26 December 2018 at Epworth, Richmond, UK.

Stones studied industrial and commercial art in Melbourne, and later trained and worked as a nurse during the Second World War. She went on to study botany with the encouragement of John Turner, Professor of Botany at the University of Melbourne.

Stones left Australia in 1951, working freelance for the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew,London. In 1961, she was commissioned by Lord Talbot to paint the endemic plants of Tasmania. The resulting publication, The Endemic Flora of Tasmania, was published in six volumes from 1967 to 1978.

The genus Stonesia (Podostemonaceae) was named in her honour.

Chronology

1936-1938 - Studied industrial art on three-year scholarship at Swinburne Technical College, Victoria

1940-1941 - Attended night classes at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School

1942-1945 - Nursed at the Epworth Hospital in Richmond, Victoria

December 1946 - First exhibition of botanical art at Georges Gallery in Melbourne

1948-1950 - Joined the University of Melbourne Botany school summer expeditions to the Bogong High Plains, Victoria

1952-1981 - Moved to England and worked independently for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and other botanical institutions

1956-1981 - Principal contributing artist to Curtis's Botanical Magazine

1957 - Commissioned by Postmaster-General's Department in Canberra to prepare a set of floral designs for Australian stamps

1967-1978 - Illustrated The Endemic Flora of Tasmania

1974 - featured in an Australian botanical art exhibition at Australian National Botanic Gardens

1976 - Veitch Silver Medal, Royal Horticultural Society, London

1977 - Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

1977-1987 - Ten year contract to draw Louisiana Flora (200+ watercolour drawings)

1979 - Represented in the Flowers in Art from East and West' at the British Museum, London (one of only seven contemporary artists)

1980 - Principal exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, USA

1985 - Principal exhibition at the Louisiana State Museum, USA

1986 - Veitch Gold Medal, Royal Horticultural Society, London

1986 - Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc (Hon)), Louisiana State University, USA

1987 - Eloise Payne Luquer Medal,received for special artistic achievement in the field of Botany. Awarded by the Garden Club of America

1988 - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - for service to art as an illustrator of botanical specimens

1989 - Doctor of Science (DSc), honoris causa, University of Melbourne

1991 - Exhibited 90 drawings of Louisiana Flora at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Source: Extracted from:
Wrigley, J.W. (2013) Eucalypt Flowers, National Library of Australia, Canberra.
https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P004310b.htm
https://tributes.theage.com.au/au/obituaries/theage-au/name/margaret-stones-obituary?id=43392725
Portrait Photo: 1974, supplied to ANBG by the artist for an art exhibition in 1974.