Wych Elm, Field Elm

An upper class woman, Elizabeth Wharton and her sister Margaret together produced four volumes of botanical works dating from 1792 to 1827, illustrating British seaweeds, grasses, and flowers. Most specimens are labeled with their respective binomial nomenclature, suggesting some interest in scientific pursuit rather than merely artistic pursuit.
In an unusual work by both of the Wharton sisters, a drawing of Wych Elm expresses interest in the growing phases of the Wych Elm tree. Titled “Witch Elm,” the drawing exemplifies interesting etymological nuances of the tree’s name, where “wych” or “witch” were once used interchangeably. Because of the plant’s odd etymology, it became erroneously associated with witches.
Parts of the tree could be used, though, to medicinally treat various ailments, cementing the scientific interest the Whartons seem to have had in their subjects. The drawing deviates from the norms of the Wharton sisters’ work in its signature; it uncharacteristically includes the initials of both Elizabeth and Margaret, starkly contrasting with the overwhelming amount of drawings signed only by Elizabeth.
There is evidence of various stages of artistic rendering. On the right hand side, drawings of the Elm tree species’ leaves and samaras (winged seed pod fruit) dominate the page and were seemingly drawn as a unit, where the samaras overlap the leaves of the tree. On the left hand side, delicate flowers adorn the page. Almost identical in composition, the samaras and flowers mirror one another, drawing attention to the Elm’s development over time. It is likely that the two halves of the drawing would have been drawn separately of one another for two primary reasons. For one, seasonal development of the flowers is depicted, necessitating attention to growth over time. For another, the bottom of the page is signed in alternating pen and pencil, deviating from purely ink notes which otherwise typify the sisters’ work.