Joseph Paxton

Joseph Paxton 1803-1865

Sir Joseph Paxton was head gardener to the Duke of Devonshire's Chatworth estate, one of England's finest gardens. In addition to landscape gardening, he was also a highly skilled architect and engineer.  He designed the massive Crystal Palace for the London Exhibition of 1851, for which he was knighted. 

He published Paxton's Magazine of Botany, and Register of Flowering Plants, in London from 1834-1849.  This was a periodical devoted to the colour illustration of new and uncommon plants grown in British gardens.  Although mainly horticultural, the magazine included first descriptions of many new species.  It was one of the most popular and successful Victorian periodicals. A later publication,The Flower Garden, was first published in 1850. Most of our plates are from the later 1882 edition (Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co.), revised by Thomas Baines.