A Victorian Display in the 21st Century: Renovating the Glass Flowers Exhibit at Harvard University: An Illustrated Live Zoom Lecture with Collection Manager Jennifer Brown

The Glass Flowers, formally the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, have delighted museum visitors, educated students, and inspired artistic and scholarly works for more than a century. This one-of-a-kind collection is on permanent exhibition at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. The breathtakingly beautiful and scientifically accurate glass models were made by Leopold Blaschka (1822-1895) and his son, Rudolf (1857-1939). Over fifty years, from 1886 through 1936, the Blaschkas produced 4,300 models that represent 780 plant species. Commissioned as a teaching collection and a museum exhibit, the Glass Flowers were made exclusively for Harvard University.

The collection has been displayed in the same gallery since the university’s Botanical Museum opened in 1890. While changes and improvements were made over time, the first major renovation and reinterpretation of the Glass Flowers exhibit didn’t occur until 2016. The risk involved with handling and moving these fragile glass models was one of many obstacles for executing such a project.

$8