16th October 2013
I was delighted to learn recently that the Garden Museum in London has acquired a miniature portrait of John Tradescant the Younger. It is thought that the miniature was commissioned as a copy from a larger portrait by Tradescant’s widow Hester after his death in 1638, and was designed to be worn in a locket. Both John Tradescant the Younger and his father, also called John Tradescant, are inspiring figures as early gardeners, explorers, and survivors of the civil war. When I learned of the breadth and significance of their work I wrote two fictionalised biographies of their lives: Earthly Joys and Virgin Earth. In their turbulent times they were famous botanists and gardeners, serving the greatest men of the day and creating extraordinary trophy gardens. John Tradescant the elder was so beloved by his master, Sir Robert Cecil, that his figure is carved into the newel post of the main staircase at Hatfield House. The tombs of both father and son are located in the Garden Museum, which was formerly the churchyard of St-Mary-at-Lambeth. The Garden Museum is hosting a lecture about the lives of the Tradescants and the history of plant collection on October 17th. More information can be found here: http://gardenmuseum.org.uk/page/tradescants-lecture-17-10-13