Margaret Stones

{{Short description|Australian botanical illustrator (1920–2018)}}

{{for|the British academic|Margaret Alison Stones}}

{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

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File:Elsie Margaret Stones01.jpg}}]]

Elsie Margaret Stones {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM|MBE}} (28 August 1920 – 26 December 2018), was an Australian botanical illustrator.

Life

Stones was born on 28 August 1920 in Colac, Victoria, Australia.{{Cite web|url=https://tributes.theage.com.au/obituaries/125923/margaret-stones/|title=Margaret Stones|website=Skymorials|language=en|access-date=2020-02-21}}

Stones worked as principal contributing artist to Curtis's Botanical Magazine from 1950 to 1981.{{cite web|url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/stones-margaret.html|title=Stones, Elsie Margaret (1920-)|work=Australian National Herbarium|date=13 November 2007|accessdate=2009-10-08}} Between 1958 and 1983 she produced more than 400 watercolour drawings for the magazine.{{cite web|url=http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P004310b.htm|title=Stones, Elsie Margaret (Margaret) (1920 - )|work=Bright Sparcs|accessdate=2009-10-08}}

In 1957 she was commissioned to prepare a set of floral designs for Australian postage stamps.

Stones worked closely with Winifred Curtis between 1967 and 1978 in providing the illustrations for The Endemic Flora of Tasmania which was commisissioned by Rose Maud Talbot and her brother.{{Cite web |last=McGinness |first=Mark |date=2009-03-17 |title=The lady of Malahide Castle |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-lady-of-malahide-castle-20090317-90xj.html |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}

In 1976, Stones was commissioned to create a series of six watercolours as part of Louisiana State University's celebration of the American bicentennial.Native Flora of Louisiana: Watercolor Drawings by Margaret Stones, Louisiana Digital Library, Baton Rouge, La. (accessed 2 February 2015) The project's scope was soon expanded, and over the next fourteen years, Stones and a team of LSU botanists traveled throughout the state gathering plant specimens. She eventually completed more than 200 drawings, which were published by the LSU Press in 1991 as Flora of Louisiana. The original drawings, as well as selected working drawings, are now held in the LSU Libraries Special Collections in Hill Memorial Library.[http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/stones/ "Native Flora of Louisiana: Watercolor Drawings by Margaret Stones,"] LSU Libraries Special Collections website.

She was awarded a silver Veitch Memorial Medal in 1976 and a gold Veitch Memorial Medal in 1985 by the Royal Horticultural Society.{{cite web|url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/pdfs/about-the-rhs/our-structure/green-manual-2014-(correct-as-at-25-march-2013)|title= RHS Green Manual|publisher= RHS|accessdate= 23 December 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075355/https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/pdfs/about-the-rhs/our-structure/green-manual-2014-(correct-as-at-25-march-2013)|archive-date= 4 March 2016|url-status= dead}} Stones has two genera named after her, Stonesia,{{cite web |title=Stonesia G.Taylor {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:32251-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |access-date=23 May 2021 |language=en}} and Stonesiella.{{cite web|url=http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0295b.htm|title=Stones, Elsie (Margaret) (1920 - )|work=The Australian Women's Register|date=25 November 2002|author=Morgan, H.|accessdate=2009-10-08}}

In 1977 Stones was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire{{Cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1085852|title=Miss Elsie Margaret STONES|last=|first=|date=|website=It's an Honour|access-date=2020-02-22}} and in 1988 a Member of the Order of Australia for "service to art as an illustrator of botanical specimens".{{Cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870094|title=Miss Elsie Margaret STONES, MBE|last=|first=|date=|website=It's an Honour|access-date=2020-02-22}} In 1989, Stones was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc (Hon)) from the University of Melbourne.{{Cite web |title=Stones, Elsie Margaret (Margaret) (1920 - ) |url=https://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P004310b.htm |access-date=12 June 2024 |website=Bright Sparcs University of Melbourne}}

Stones died at Epworth, Richmond, Victoria on 26 December 2018 at the age of 98. She never married.

See also

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book|author=Zdanowicz, Irena|title=Beauty in Truth: the Botanical Art of Margaret Stones|publisher=National Gallery of Victoria|location=Victoria|year=1996}}