Anna Maria Hussey
Encyclopedia
Anna Maria Hussey was a British mycologist, writer
, and illustrator
.
, Buckinghamshire
, one of seven children of Rev. John Theodore Archibald Reed, rector
of Leckhampstead, and Anna Maria Dayrell. In 1831 she married Rev. Dr Thomas John Hussey
, rector of Hayes
, Kent
, who was a well-connected astronomer
. They had six children, one of whom was also given the name Anna Maria Hussey. Only two survived to adulthood.
In the 1840s, she contributed writings (possibly including a romantic serial) to The Surplice, a magazine edited by her husband. She also wrote at least one less romantic story, called 'Matrimony', for Frazer's Magazine — but all these pieces were anonymous, following the conventions of the time.
at nearby Down House
. One of Anna Maria's brothers, George Varenne Reed, became tutor to Darwin's sons. Anna Maria herself (together with her younger sister, Frances Reed) developed an expertise in fungi, corresponding with and sending specimens to the leading mycologist of the day, Rev. Miles Joseph Berkeley
. She and her sister made watercolour paintings of some of the species they encountered and in 1847 a number of Anna Maria's illustrations were published as plates in A treatise on the esculent funguses of England by Charles David Badham
. These went uncredited, however, as noted by a contemporary reviewer.
At the same time, she produced (as Mrs T.J. Hussey) the first volume of an ambitious and expensive work entitled Illustrations of British mycology, containing 90 colour plates of species collected and illustrated by herself or by her sister, together with descriptions, personal observations, anecdotes, and comments. A second volume of 50 colour plates was published posthumously in 1855, cut short by her early death. The two volumes, especially the illustrations, were well-received and praised for their "scientific accuracy" as well as their "artistic elegance".
Berkeley named a Sri Lankan fungal genus Husseia after "my friend, Mrs Hussey, whose talents well deserve such a distinction"(though unfortunately the later Husseya J. Agardh, a genus of seaweeds named after Australian collector Jessie Hussey, has been conserved against it). He also named an agaric
species, illustrated in volume two of Illustrations of British mycology, Cortinarius reediae, after Frances Reed. Their specimens of fungi sent to Berkeley are now in the mycological herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
.
and Missouri Botanical Garden Library. Her correspondence with Berkeley has also been published and she has recently received an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography
.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
.
Family and background
Anna Maria Reed was born in LeckhampsteadLeckhampstead, Buckinghamshire
Leckhampstead is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near the border with Northamptonshire, about three miles north east of Buckingham, and to the west of Milton Keynes....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, one of seven children of Rev. John Theodore Archibald Reed, rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Leckhampstead, and Anna Maria Dayrell. In 1831 she married Rev. Dr Thomas John Hussey
Thomas John Hussey
Thomas John Hussey was an English clergyman and astronomer.-Background and education:T.J. Hussey was born in Lamberhurst, Kent, the only son of Rev. John Hussey and Catherine Jennings. The Husseys were an old, armigerous, Anglo-Norman family and substantial local landowners, the Rev. Hussey being...
, rector of Hayes
Hayes, Bromley
Hayes is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, south-east London, England. It has two main areas of activity: the ancient village and suburban Hayes.-The ancient village of Nimrods :...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, who was a well-connected astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
. They had six children, one of whom was also given the name Anna Maria Hussey. Only two survived to adulthood.
In the 1840s, she contributed writings (possibly including a romantic serial) to The Surplice, a magazine edited by her husband. She also wrote at least one less romantic story, called 'Matrimony', for Frazer's Magazine — but all these pieces were anonymous, following the conventions of the time.
Collecting and illustrating fungi
The Husseys had an interest in natural history and knew Charles DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
at nearby Down House
Down House
Down House is the former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. It was in this house and garden that Darwin worked on his theories of evolution by natural selection which he had conceived in London before moving to Downe....
. One of Anna Maria's brothers, George Varenne Reed, became tutor to Darwin's sons. Anna Maria herself (together with her younger sister, Frances Reed) developed an expertise in fungi, corresponding with and sending specimens to the leading mycologist of the day, Rev. Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology....
. She and her sister made watercolour paintings of some of the species they encountered and in 1847 a number of Anna Maria's illustrations were published as plates in A treatise on the esculent funguses of England by Charles David Badham
Charles David Badham
Rev. Dr. Charles David Badham MD, FRCP was an English writer, physician, entomologist, and mycologist.-Background and education:...
. These went uncredited, however, as noted by a contemporary reviewer.
At the same time, she produced (as Mrs T.J. Hussey) the first volume of an ambitious and expensive work entitled Illustrations of British mycology, containing 90 colour plates of species collected and illustrated by herself or by her sister, together with descriptions, personal observations, anecdotes, and comments. A second volume of 50 colour plates was published posthumously in 1855, cut short by her early death. The two volumes, especially the illustrations, were well-received and praised for their "scientific accuracy" as well as their "artistic elegance".
Berkeley named a Sri Lankan fungal genus Husseia after "my friend, Mrs Hussey, whose talents well deserve such a distinction"(though unfortunately the later Husseya J. Agardh, a genus of seaweeds named after Australian collector Jessie Hussey, has been conserved against it). He also named an agaric
Agaric
An agaric is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe , with lamellae on the underside of the pileus. "Agaric" can also refer to a basidiomycete species characterized by an agaric-type fruiting body...
species, illustrated in volume two of Illustrations of British mycology, Cortinarius reediae, after Frances Reed. Their specimens of fungi sent to Berkeley are now in the mycological herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
.
Recent exhibition and publications
In recent years, Anna Maria Hussey has attracted attention as a Victorian, female, scientific illustrator and was one of twelve such artists featured in a 2005 'Women's Work' exhibition staged in the United States by the Linda Hall LibraryLinda Hall Library
The Linda Hall Library is a privately-endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, about a "five-minute walk from Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art." It is the "largest independently funded public library of science, engineering and...
and Missouri Botanical Garden Library. Her correspondence with Berkeley has also been published and she has recently received an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
.