|
|
| Margaret Armstrong (24 Sep) 1867 - 1944 (18 Jul) |
| Margaret Armstrong was a prominent American designer and illustrator whose work in the botanical field began after 1910, when dust-jackets became a preferred book covering. In 1915, she and co-author J.J. Thornber published the first comprehensive field guide to wildflowers of the western US, specifically Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Field Book of Western Wildflowers includes 500 monochrome illustrations and 48 color plates which Armstrong drew from careful observation in the field. She collected over 1000 specimens during this period, 188 of which are housed in the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium. Her watercolor botanical illustrations are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Armstrong's collection trips from 1911-1914 led her to become one of the first women to ascend the Victoria Glacier and walk the basin of the Grand Canyon, where she found species that were not previously described. In addition to her botanical contributions, she independently authored two biographies and three detective novels and illustrated over 300 book covers. |
 Armstrong family, ca. 1910s |
 The Armstrong family during a trip to Canada. Margaret is the second from left. |
 Cover of Armstrong's field guide to native flowers of the western US and Canada |
 Watercolor illustration of orange mariposa tulip (Calochortus kennedyi) from Field Guide to Western Wild Flowers |
 Watercolor illustration of Lathyrus splendens |
 Calochortus luteus |
 Sarcodes sanguinea |
 "Cactus Grahami", now Mammillaria grahamii |
 Watercolor illustration/color plate of Abronia villosa |
 Salvia carduacea |
 Pachylophus marginatus |
 Ramona incana |
 Echinocereus polyacanthus |
| Bio - NYBG |
| 1900. Browning, R. and M. Armstrong. Pippa Passes: By Robert Browning; Illustrated by Margaret Armstrong. (): . | Google Scholar |
| 1915. Armstrong, Margaret and John James Thornber. Field book of western wild flowers. (): . | Google Scholar |
| 1968. Library, University Of California At Los Angeles (Los Angeles). University, M. Armstrong, J.J. Espey and C.B. Gullans. A Checklist of Trade Bindings Designed by Margaret Armstrong. Compiled by Charles B. Gullans with the Collaboration of John J. Espey. (): . | Google Scholar |
| 2014. Armstrong, M.. Field Book of Western Wild Flowers: The Ultimate Guide to Flowers Growing West of the Rocky Mountains. (): . | Google Scholar |
| 2018. Angell, Bobbi and Jody Williams. Margaret Neilson Armstrong. The Botanical Artist (4): 32-33. | Google Scholar |