The Dominion of Flowers: Botanical Art and Global Plant Relations

How a wave of exotic botanical imports from across Britain’s empire shaped its gardens and psyche

Between 1760 and 1840, exotic plants were imported from across Britain’s empire and were lavishly depicted in periodicals and scientific treatises as specimens collected alongside other objects of natural history. Mark Laird’s provocative new book—part art history, part polemic—weaves fine art, botanical illustration, and previously unpublished archival material into a political and ethical ac...