Collection: Indo-Chinese "Straits-School" Flora

INDO-CHINESE or “STRAITS SCHOOL” (19th century)
From an album of distinctive fruit and flower drawings

Watercolor on drawn on a mix of papers, including Whatman wove paper (dated 1794 1811) and mid-to-late 19th century European laid paper. Provenance: Winifred Bois (1875-1966) per original album bookplate; The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven.

Throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, there was a significant surge in interest in studying natural history in Europe, attracting scientists and amateurs alike. Understanding natural history was considered imperative for a well-rounded education, prompting many individuals to delve into “natural philosophy” and its diverse branches. Accurate illustrations were pivotal in classifying specimens and capturing the thrill of new global discoveries. The documentation process for natural history drawings primarily relied on the collection of specimens. Plants were carefully pressed, dried, and subsequently sketched in detail to depict their natural characteristics, encompassing their shapes and colors.

In India, British patrons frequently engaged local artists to record the region’s flora and fauna. The accumulation of natural history drawings by officials of the British East India Company contributed to the emergence of the “Company School” style, characterized by the collaborative work of Indian or Chinese artists for British clients. This style represents an amalgamation of two artistic traditions: the European tradition, which emphasizes realism, and the Asian tradition, which leans towards a more stylized approach.

The frequent movements of trade and personnel between India and China via ports on the Malay peninsula, including Malacca and Prince of Wales Island, meant that collectors frequently had Indian and Chinese drawings in their collections. Scholar Henry Noltie has suggested that this school is named “Straits School” (see Forgotten Masters Indian Painting for the East India Company, ed. W. Dalrymple, 2019, pp. 78-82). The bookplate of Winifred Bois at the front lends itself to be the original compiler of these delicate drawings. Winifred was born in Sri Lanka to F.W. and Mary Bois. Frederick W. Bois (1848-1921) was a highly proficient amateur photographer who exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. He was the second of four brothers whose family had held a prominent place in the mercantile life of Ceylon since the 1860s. The Bois family was originally from Surrey, England. The collection was then sold to the Fairhaven Library, eventually passing to Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven, and was later deaccessioned by the library. It was likely acquired between 1927 and 1960. It is a testament to Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven’s connoisseurship. The collection included exquisitely illustrated works on ornithology, botany, mammalogy, and entomology. The Fairhaven Library grew from the fortune of Henry Rogers Broughton’s grandfather, who made his money from Pennsylvania oil discoveries, which he sold to John D. Rockefeller, and it became a part of Standard Oil.