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Boston: The Glass Flowers
In our series highlighting unique or unusual
attractions, we have selected the "Glass
Flowers" as a particularly noteworthy
exhibit in the Boston area.
When you are in the Boston area, consider
taking a side trip to Harvard University
and its fine collection of affiliated museums
in nearby Cambridge. The Harvard Museum of
Natural History is especially appealing to
children. It’s technically a series of separate
museums housed under one roof, spanning comparative
zoology, mineralogy, geology and botany.
A sister institution, the Peabody Museum
of Archaeology and Ethnology, also shares
space in the same building. Think of this
complex as a smaller-scale version of New
York’s own Museum of Natural History.
The botanical section is particularly noteworthy
because it contains an exhibit that is genuinely
unique. The full name of this exhibit is
“The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models
of Plants.” Most people simply call it, “The
Glass Flowers.”
Professor George Lincoln Goodale founded
the Harvard Botanical Museum in the mid-19th
century. He wanted to develop lifelike models
of plants for his lectures -- models that
would be significantly better than the rather
crude papier-mâché or wax versions that were
used in those years. Eventually, he concluded
that fashioning models out of glass was the
way to go and decided that the firm of Leopold
Blaschka near Dresden, Germany was most qualified
to execute his vision. The Blaschka family
had been noted as fine jewelers and glassmakers
for several centuries. The Ware family, who
financed the effort, provided the final element
of the equation.
Leopold Blaschka began work in 1886. His
son Rudolph completed the project exactly
5 decades later, in 1936. Their monumental
effort produced over 3,000 models, representing
847 species of plants. The models include
life-sized replicas, magnified cross-sections
and enlarged plant parts. Some models illustrate
insect pollination, plant diseases and reproductive
cycles. All are astonishing in their level
of detail and realism. All are breathtakingly
beautiful. They transcend science and reach
the plateau of fine art.
The Blaschkas employed a variety of methods
to produce this great body of work. Some
models were of blown glass, while others
were shaped. Some were fashioned of colored
glass, and others were made of clear glass
that was later fused, under heat, with ground
colored glass or metal oxides. In most models,
the glass was fashioned around an internal
wire support.
These masterpieces are highly fragile, and
a number have fractured over the years, sometimes
merely from decades of small vibrations caused
by visitors’ footsteps (about 120,000 people
view the models annually). In other cases,
a loud truck on the street or plane overhead
has broken a model all at once. Ultraviolet
light filtering through the museum’s windows
is another cause of deterioration. Accordingly,
the museum has launched a major conservation
effort that is cleaning and repairing the
models (where needed), then reinstalling
them in modern display cases that afford
much better protection. Happily for visitors,
though, this project proceeds in stages with
only a small proportion of the glass flowers
taken off display at any one time. This collection
is a lesser-known national treasure in which
the whole family can take much delight.
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| Travel Tips |
- The Harvard Museum of Natural History is
at 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138.
- The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology,
at 11 Divinity Ave., provides a rear entrance.
The museums are connected and have the same
hours. One admission price gets you into
both, and both observe the same times for
free admission.
- By public transit, take the Red Line subway
(known locally as the “T”) to Harvard Square,
then walk north through the Harvard Yard,
a stroll of 10-15 minutes.
- If you come by car, parking is mainly limited
to on-street, metered spaces.
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| Where to Learn More |
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| What to Budget |
The following prices are for admission to
the Harvard Museum of Natural
History, where
the Glass Flowers are on display.
- Adults $7.50
- Non-Harvard Students with ID and Seniors
$6.00
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Kids 3-18 $5.00
The museum is free to all on Wednesdays 3-5PM
(September to May) and Sundays 9AM-noon (year
round). Discounted rates apply for group
tours (reserve in advance).
The Harvard Hot Ticket ($10 for
adults,
$8 for college students and seniors)
includes
all 6 Harvard museums and is
valid up to
a year from purchase. The Boston
City Pass
also includes the Harvard Museum
of Natural
History.
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| Travel Guides and More |
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| When to Go |
The museum is open daily 9-5 except Thanksgiving,
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s
Day.
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| Reservations |
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