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 […]
Henry Correvon at Casa Fontanalba, 16 July 1914 Read More »
Clarence Bicknell left a record of places, flowers and events in hundreds of pencil or ink drawings in pocket-size sketch books, most with the location and date added. Many are in the Bicknell collection and some in the “Lotto 2017” collection of the Museo Bicknell in Bordighera. Some of the sketches can be linked to
Clarence’s health trip in the mountains 1888 Read More »
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
Aquilegia atrata in Clarence’s Book of Guests in Esperanto Read More »
In italiano sotto Violet Van Biesbroeck – A mystery solved. The little girl in the 1915 Christmas card to Clarence is the newly-born daughter of the man who drew the picture, Jules van Biesbroeck. Violet Leonie Van Biesbroeck was born in Bordighera on 12 March 1915 to Jules van Biesbroeck and his wife Stephanie (née
Violet Van Biesbroeck – Un mistero risolto. Read More »
Auriez-vous la gentilesse de m’apporter des informations au sujet de la photo ci-dessous, “Signor Vassallo sur sa meule de foin 1915” à Casterino. La photo, dans notre collection de famille ici chez moi, est prise par Clarence Bicknell ou par sa main droite/ami Luigi Pollini. L’écriture est celle de mon oncle Clarence. La famille Vassallo…
Vassallo – Casterino Read More »
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
Naming of Cima Pollini Read More »
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
Cima Pollini – who was Pollini? Read More »
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
Watercolour drawing of Water Avens by Clarence Bicknell Read More »
The Children’s Picture Book of Wild Plants of 1908 is one of Clarence’s best illustrated albums, all of them bound in vellum (kid’s leather) and provided empty by his niece Margaret Berry. Clarence introduces it “This is a Children’s Picture-Book; the Babes who cannot read may look upon the right-hand Pages; while on the left
Lathyrus pratensis in Clarence’s book for children Read More »
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
The family Bottacco and Clarence Bicknell Read More »
