Betsy Cameron,
born in Germany in 1710, acquired a
reputation during his life as one of the
foremost botanical painters of his - and
perhaps any - age.
Upon the death of Ehret's father, the
very young Georg was apprenticed to a
gardener for three years. Much of his
youth was spent as a gardener, although
he spent that time practicing his
drawings. Soon, acquired patrons and was
earning a living by creating superlative
drawings of flora all across Europe,
working and traveling in Germany, France,
Holland and finally in England, where he
settled.
Among his most important works are
those he painted for the Swedish
botanist Linnaeus, who originated the
classification of plants used today.
Ehret was also employed illustrating
various works (including travel books)
and painting specimens for private
collections. He also painted porcelain
commercially.
Ehret's work is all the more
impressive when one considers that the
range of colors available during his
lifetime was miniscule. His watercolors,
both on vellum and on paper, are
delicate and cannot be constantly
displayed in public galleries, but fine
collections are kept in London at the
Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural
History Museum and in the Royal
collections at Windsor. Ehret died in
1770.
