Marian Marcelin's 1859 Watercolor Iris ("Drawn from a flower which I had raised" old composition doll This piece reminds me so

This piece reminds me so much of watching jellyfish at an aquarium--luminous and mesmerizing

36 pages filled front and back with just a couple of exceptions

and great in a wide variety of contexts

and I found two photos of it from just a few years after this drawing was made (included in photos)

Clearly a day for celebration

Marian Marcelin's 1859 Watercolor Iris ("Drawn from a flower which I had raised" old composition doll This piece reminds me soI found this one on my first visit to what feels like a treasure trove of an antiques shop in central Mass. which will become a regular stop of my routes out the way. Lushly rendered in watercolor and dated 1859, I find it quite a luscious reminder of what a sexy flower the iris is! And I really love that the Marian Marcelin, who signed it both at bottom right and on reverse, noted that she had raised this iris herself! This gold edged paper mat was