Creating Possibilities: The Ethelind Pope Brown Collection: An Overview of who may have Illustrated America’s Oldest Naturalist Paintings

Author

Maksym W. Dedenko, Portland State UniversityFollow

Sponsor

Thomas Luckett

First Advisor

Thomas Luckett

Date of Award

Summer 6-1-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in History and University Honors

Department

History

Language

English

Subjects

Ethelind Pope Brown

Abstract

This thesis investigates the Ethelind Pope Brown Collection at the University of South Carolina, a rare assembly of hand-illustrated naturalist artworks depicting an assortment of flora and fauna from the eighteenth century. Despite its artistic and educational value, the creator of the collection remains unidentified. Through close textual and visual analysis, archival research, and comparative stylistic study, this project explores several potential authorship theories while providing background to the necessity of evolving science that facilitated its creation.

Recommended Citation

Dedenko, Maksym W., "Creating Possibilities: The Ethelind Pope Brown Collection: An Overview of who may have Illustrated America’s Oldest Naturalist Paintings" (2025). University Honors Theses. Paper 1644.