Waterwise Gardening: Living the Dry Life
Tue., Sept. 13, 2022 | Sandy Masuo
One of the joys of a garden is that it is a living laboratory, full of opportunities for discovery. Most home gardeners have experimented with plants, learning through trial and error which ones will thrive in their local conditions.
Mutual Entanglement of New Media and the Law
Tue., Sept. 6, 2022 | Jennifer Tucker
From prints to cartoons, courtroom sketches to photographs, cinema to the internet, “new media” is a diverse and constantly evolving collection of cultural forms and technologies that shape, and are shaped by, the law.
U.S. Civil War
Beyond All Earthly Power
Tue., Aug. 30, 2022 | Olga Tsapina
In the predawn hours of May 24, 1861, the 11th Regiment of New York Infantry disembarked from steamers in Alexandria, Virginia. The men, commanded by Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth (1837–1861), who was only 24 years old, met no resistance.
A Gasteria by Any Other Name
Tue., Aug. 16, 2022 | Sandy Masuo
Gasteria species were included in the genus Aloe until 1809, when French physician and botanist Henri August Duval proposed they be moved into the new genus Gasteria, named for the slightly bulbous, stomach-like shape of the flowers.
Botanical
The Allure of Aroids
Tue., July 26, 2022 | Sandy Masuo
When you step into The Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science at The Huntington, you are instantly transported to another world. Consistently warm and humid conditions create a pocket of the tropics that houses a grand display of plant adaptations.
Family Archive Related to Jane Austen
Tue., July 19, 2022 | Vanessa Wilkie, Ph.D.
In 1736, just four days before Christmas, 5-year-old Mary “Molly” Leigh wrote a formal letter to her father, Theophilus Leigh, Master of Balliol College, Oxford. The first page of the letter is ruled with straight lines to serve as guides for the novice hand, but the second page lacks them....
Botanical
Titanic Mysteries
Tue., July 5, 2022 | Sandy Masuo
In the botanical world, the Amorphophallus titanum, or Titan Arum, has been an A-list celebrity. The Huntington first acquired one in March 1999, and five months later, the Scott Gallery Loggia was the site of the first recorded flowering of Titan Arum in California.
Botanical
Water, Water, Everywhere?
Tue., June 28, 2022 | Sandy Masuo
In arid 21st-century California, April arrives at the tail end of the rainy season, which concluded this year with a water shortage emergency announcement. By the time state officials released the statement on April 27, The Huntington's Botanical and Facilities staff members, who closely monitor rainfall and water consumption throughout...
Profiles
Welcoming the 2022–23 Research Fellows
Tue., June 21, 2022 | Steve Hindle
June is a wonderful time of year at The Huntington: The flowers are in bloom, the gardens and galleries are bustling with visitors, and a fresh cohort of scholars are once again poring over our world-class collection of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, paintings, prints, and much more.
Art
Laura Aguilar’s California
Tue., June 14, 2022 | Linde B. Lehtinen, Ph.D. and Dennis Carr
A woman lies naked on the ground, warmed by the sun. The organic lines of her body echo the color and curves of the stone beneath her, and she seems to merge with her environment. The central image is flanked by two photographs of desert bunchgrasses and California fuchsia plants,...
Botanical
Gifts from Japan
Tue., June 7, 2022 | Robert Hori
Robert Hori, the gardens cultural curator and program director at The Huntington, was invited to serve as guest curator for an exhibition at the Portland Japanese Garden. The collaborative result is “Gifts from Japan: A Horticultural Tale Told through Botanical Art,” an exhibition that focuses on the intersection of garden...
Education
Thinking Outside the (Art) Box
Tue., May 31, 2022 | Sandy Masuo
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of time that people spent focused on screens was an issue of concern. Sarah Wilson of the Autry Museum had an idea: bring together museum education staff to find an innovative way to serve the needs of children and families beyond online learning.