A Life Lived Fully

The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life’s Work at 72 
by Molly Peacock 

Mary Delany was 72 years old and mourning the death of her second husband when she began assembling detailed, realistic flower mosaics (one mosaic contains over 230 individual pieces of paper). Failing eyesight forced her to stop at 82 (although she continued with her needlework), by which time she had created 985 flower collages. At the same time, she maintained a busy social life, cared for a young grand-niece, maintained an extensive correspondence, and worked on other crafts.

Mary Delany’s life had many parts – a childhood designed to obtain a position at court, a first marriage at 17 to an old, drunken man and a second, happy marriage in Ireland. Creativity and handiwork were the common strands, weaving together a life lived fully and graciously.

The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life’s Work at 72 by Molly Peacock reminds us of the value of every stage of our lives and the importance of valuing women’s handiwork as art.

You can view some of Mary Delany’s flowers in the British Museum’s online collection.