Mary Vaux Walcott Biography

Mary Vaux Walcott (1860-1940) was an eminent American botanical artist, renowned for her exquisite watercolour illustrations of North American wildflowers.

Born into a prominent Quaker family in Philadelphia, she developed a passion for art and nature from a young age following family holidays to the Rocky Mountains in Canada.

In 1880, her mother died and at 19 years old Vaux took on the responsibility of caring for her father and two younger brothers. After 1887, she and her brothers went back to western Canada almost every summer. During this time, she became an active mountain climber, outdoors woman and photographer.

Asked one summer to paint a rare blooming arnica by a botanist, she was encouraged to concentrate on botanical illustration. She spent many years exploring the rugged terrain of the Canadian Rockies to find important flowering species to paint. On these trips, Vaux became the first woman to accomplish the over 10,000 feet ascent of Mount Stephen.

Over her father's fierce objections, in 1914 Mary Vaux, then 54, married the palaeontologist Charles Doolittle Walcott, a widower who was the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute. She played an active part in her husband's projects, returning to the Rockies with him several times and continuing to paint wildflowers. In 1925, the Smithsonian published some 400 of her illustrations, accompanied by brief descriptions, in a five-volume work entitled 'North American Wild Flowers', the proceeds of which went to the Smithsonian's endowment.

She was elected president of the Society of Woman Geographers in 1933. In 1935, the Smithsonian published 'Illustrations of North American Pitcher-Plants', which included 15 paintings by Walcott.

In addition to her artwork, Walcott was a dedicated advocate for the preservation of natural habitats. Her commitment to conservation led her to become actively involved in movements aimed at protecting the environment.

She is also remembered for her contributions to various botanical organisations and her role in the establishment of the National Park Service. Throughout her life, Walcott produced a remarkable body of work, leaving a lasting legacy in both art and botany.

Today, her illustrations can be found in several prestigious collections, affirming her status as one of the leading botanical artists of her time.