Flower Hunter: Ellis Rowan

Published by the National Library of Australia. Ellis Rowan - painter, naturalist, writer and explorer - was an extraordinary woman for her era. Petite, plucky and always immaculately dressed, for almost 50 years she travelled to the remote parts of Australia, India, Europe, America and New Guinea in pursuit of exotic flowers and wildlife to paint. Over 3000 works testify to her prodigious output. Unabashedly ambitious, throughout her life she used her social connections to promote her work, which was internationally acclaimed and collected by royalty. For all her accolades however, Rowan's reputation was contentious, even after her death. It is hoped that The Flower Hunter: Ellis Rowan will help establish her rightful place in Australian art.