Mrs. Ellis Rowan and her contributions to Australian art and science

Brisbane : Watson, Ferguson & Co, 1927. Octavo, lettered wrappers with pictorial inlay (edges chipped, rubbed, staples rusted, small chip with loss to lower panel); pp. 58, photographic portrait of the author, 12 colour plates; occasional light foxing, a very good copy.

A rare and detailed early monograph on the indefatigable Ellis Rowan, the intrepid and well-travelled artist who produced a large body of vibrant natural history watercolours noted for their artistic skill and scientific accuracy. This early work by Swiss writer Henry Alexis Tardent (1853-1929) includes twelve colour plates of Rowan’s paintings, with descriptions by C.T. White, Queensland Government Botanist. Tardent emigrated to Queensland in 1887 and was a founding member of Les Causeries Francaises (Alliance Francaise).