Frances Elizabeth Tripp (1 August 1832 – 26 December 1890) was a British bryologist,

botanical illustrator Botanical illustration is the art of depicting the form, color, and details of plant species, frequently in watercolor paintings. They must be scientifically accurate but often also have an artistic component and may be printed with a botanical ...

, philanthropist and writer. She is best known for her two volume work ''British Mosses, their homes, aspects, structures and uses'', which was first published in 1868 and ran to three editions.

Biography

Frances Elizabeth Tripp was born on 1 August 1832 and was christened at St Sidwells, Exeter,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. Her father was the Reverend Robert Henry Tripp, and her mother was Elizabeth Ann; her parents were first cousins. Her father was vicar of

Altarnun Altarnun ( ; kw, Alternonn) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is located west of Launceston on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at . The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the ha ...

in Cornwall, close to Bodmin Moor. Frances had seven younger siblings: five brothers – Reverend Robert Henry (1835–1904), Reverend George (1837–1896), John Chilcott (1838–1839), Charles Upton (1841–1912), William Blomefield (1843–1919, who became a civil engineer); two sisters – Emma Mary (1834–1835), and Emma Mary (the second, 1845–1902). After inheriting a considerable amount of money from her grandmother, Tripp pursued scientific research and charitable causes. She raised money to support the cause of Italian unification, supported the Kyrle Society and was involved in the early establishment of

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. In later life she moved to London, where she died on 26 December 1890 following a heart attack.

''British Mosses''

Tripp's work ''British Mosses'' was written as a popular scientific volume which she also illustrated, by etching copper plates which were then coloured by

Benjamin Fawcett Benjamin Fawcett (December 1808, in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire – January 1893) was an English nineteenth century woodblock colour printer. Life The son of a ship's master, Fawcett was apprenticed at age 14 for seven years to Wil ...

. The work ran to three editions: 1868; 1874; 1888. On the publication on its third edition, the two-volume work was described in Sotheran's Guide as: "to read, to ponder, to mark, to learn and inwardly digest". It was also reviewed in ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

'' which described its style as "highly poetical" and tending to "dryness" in later passages.

Gallery

File:British mosses, their homes, aspects, structure, and uses - with a figure of each species etched from nature (IA b28058720).pdf, Cover, 1874 edition File:British mosses, their homes, aspects, structure and uses. With a coloured figure of each species etched from nature (1874) (19797411983).jpg File:British mosses, their homes, aspects, structure and uses. With a coloured figure of each species etched from nature (1874) (20230335048).jpg File:British mosses, their homes, aspects, structure and uses. With a coloured figure of each species etched from nature (1874) (20392094336).jpg File:British mosses, their homes, aspects, structure and uses. With a coloured figure of each species etched from nature (1874) (20418344115).jpg File:British mosses, their homes, aspects, structure and uses. With a coloured figure of each species etched from nature (1874) (20418312455).jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripp, Frances 1832 births 1890 deaths Bryologists Women bryologists British botanists Botanists active in Europe People from Cornwall Botanical illustrators British women writers British illustrators