Blog Post

Fritz Mader, Pioneer of Natural History – by Graham Avery

Archaeologist, Artist, Blog Post, Botany, History, The Man /

It was through his research into Clarence Bicknell that Graham Avery, the Vice-Chairman of the Clarence Bicknell Association, became interested in Fritz Mader. Fritz Mader (1872-1921) alpinist, geologist, botanist, glaciologist, speleologist and photographer, was the son of the pastor of the German-speaking church in Nice. He was educated at a French Lycée in Nice, at […]

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Henry Correvon at Casa Fontanalba, 16 July 1914

Archaeologist, Artist, Blog Post, Botany /

By Graham Avery The Swiss botanist Henry Correvon visited Clarence Bicknell at his summer home Casa Fontanalba in Casterino on 16 July 1914, and signed his name in the Casa Fontanalba Visitors’ Book. I have recently discovered a description by Correvon of his visit. Henry Correvon (1854 -1939) was a horticulturalist, botanist, and member of

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Aquilegia atrata in Clarence’s Book of Guests in Esperanto

Artist, Blog Post, Botany, Esperantist /

A decorative floral design by Clarence Bicknell from his Book of Guests in Esperanto. Here he plays tribute to one of his best friends and helpers; “Luigi Pollini was for many years and still is my factotum, but particularly for my botanical interests. He helped me collect plants in Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain, and also

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Naming of Cima Pollini

Artist, Blog Post, Botany, History, The Man /

Our website and Facebook posting about the identity of Luigi Pollini (https://clarencebicknell.com/cima-pollini-who-was-pollini/) has triggered further input on the subject from readers. Most informative is this from Luca Barale, Researcher for the National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, in Turino. He writes to  us on 15 November 2021… “I hope this

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Cima Pollini – who was Pollini?

Archaeologist, Blog Post, Events, Family, History, The Man /

Following a question from Jean-Félix Gandioli of the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Nice about Cima Pollini (photo, right) and Pollini’s relationship with Clarence Bicknell, I researched the subject in MARVELS – The Life of Clarence Bicknell by Valerie Lester 2018 and brought forward all the references to Pollini there. You can download these excerpts (in

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Watercolour drawing of Water Avens by Clarence Bicknell

Artist, Blog Post, Botany, Esperantist /

Clarence Bicknell’s painting is from his Book of Guests in Esperanto opposite the entry for Capi, his niece Nora’s dog. Clarence Bicknell wrote a page in Esperanto about each visitor and decorated the page with a botanical drawing, often developing the guest’s initial into a monogram. The words translated read… “Capi, my niece Nora’s black

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The family Bottacco and Clarence Bicknell

Archaeologist, Artist, Blog Post, Botany, History /

The family Bottacco and Clarence Bicknell – how did they know each other? Rhea Bottacca Sanseverino, her husband Leopoldo Bottacco and their daughter Rita Bottacco Edoardo Fumio of Florence contacted us on 6th April 2021 to ask for the original pictures from the “Clarence Bicknell’s Casa Fontanalba Visitors’ Book” which showed the entries in the

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The Ancient King, Saxifraga florulenta

Archaeologist, Artist, Blog Post, Botany, History, The Man /

The Ancient King, l’Antico Re, was the name used by Clarence Bicknell and other botanists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for Saxifraga florulenta. Botanists and enthusiasts have always spent many patient hours in search of this rarity, and forever will. It is wonderful and exciting to find it in bloom. Read the

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