Art Collections

Since its earliest days, Brooklyn Botanic Garden has employed artists to capture the essence of the Garden and its plant collections. Here are a few notable collections.

• Historic Images

  The Garden’s Historic Image Collection consists of glass plate negatives, lantern slides, film-based negatives, and paper prints created during the first half of the 20th century. These photographs document all aspects of the Garden: the growth and development of the grounds and buildings, horticultural displays, special events, gardening and education programs for adults and children, and scientific research.

  Historic Image Collection ›

• Lantern Slide Lecture Sets

  Elsie May Kittredge was an artist and amateur botanist whose eloquent photographic images are a sustained expression of her passion for the flora of the Northeast, particularly its wildflowers and ferns. Beginning in 1910, Kittredge created hundreds of hand-colored lantern slides for educational lectures. BBG's lantern slide sets include both unique, hand-tinted slides by Kittredge and other photographers and commercially produced lantern slides.

  Lantern Slide Collection ›

• Maud Purdy Paintings

  At the time of the Garden’s establishment, it was common for scientific institutions to employ staff artists to document their collections. Maud Purdy was employed as the Garden’s botanical illustrator for 32 years, from 1913 to 1945. Purdy’s botanical art was greatly appreciated for its beauty and educational value, and even today her vivid floral paintings stand out for their artistry and precision. In 2004, 235 of her paintings, illustrations, and sketches were digitized.

  “Drawing from Life” at Google Arts & Culture ›

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium

  Established in 2000, the Florilegium documents the Garden’s living collections in watercolor, pen and ink, and other media. Florilegium Society artists and BBG botanists and gardeners collaborate in this perfect marriage of art and science.

  Florilegium Artists & Works ›

• Contemporary Photographs

  The Garden maintains a collection of over 30,000 photographs of living collections, horticultural displays, programs, and Garden milestones, along with short videos depicting collections and significant moments.

  Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Photographs on Flickr ›