The Broom Cactus

Sydenham Teast Edwards, an English natural history illustrator, was born on 5 August 1768 in Usk, Monmouthshire, into a family with a strong educational and musical background. His father, Lloyd Pittell Edwards, was a schoolmaster and organist, and his mother, Mary Reese, came from a family with notable connections, including her brother, the Rev. William Reece. Edwards displayed an early talent for drawing, famously copying plates from 'Flora Londinensis' at the age of 11. His skill caught the attention of William Curtis, a prominent publisher of botanical works, who took Edwards under his wing, providing him with training in both botany and botanical illustration. Edwards' career was marked by an extraordinary output of work, including over 1,700 watercolours for Curtis's Botanical Magazine between 1787 and 1815. His contributions to natural history illustration were vast, encompassing works such as 'Cynographia Britannica' (1800), a detailed compendium of British dog breeds, and 'The Botanical Register', which he founded in 1815 after a disagreement with John Sims. Edwards' illustrations not only served scientific purposes but also influenced the decorative arts, inspiring designs on ceramics by leading potters of his time. Elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1804, Edwards' legacy endures through his meticulous and prolific body of work, which bridged the gap between science and art during a period of growing interest in natural history.