"John Bartram and his family influenced generations of artists and explorers by modeling passionate observation and discovery of nature. The American Society of Botanical Artists, in collaboration with Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia, PA, curated an exhibition of original contemporary botanical artworks depicting plants discovered and introduced by the Bartrams, American pioneers in botany, horticulture, and natural history illustration. This remarkable family hungered for knowledge of the natural world, studied it closely, and dispersed details and methods of that study. They shaped a way of observation that we as botanical artists employ today, and the plants we observe have often passed throughtheir hands to ours. Focusing on the native plant discoveries made by John and [his son] William Bartram in their travels throughout the eastern wilderness between the 1730's and 1790's, the exhibition of forty-four original artworks allows a fresh look at their seminal body of knowledge and art. This illustrated, full-color book connects the exhibition's artworks to the historic father and son team who inspired them. In-depth essays and informative materials allow viewers and reders to better interpret this important history, as well as the role contemporary artists play in depicting these plants for today's audience and preserving their record for generations to come."--