Inspiration | Margaret Fountaine
Materials | Cyanotype, handmade paper cut collage
32.3in x 45.3in x 2.2in frame depth

Inspiration-
This artwork was inspired by Victorian lepidopterist Margaret Fountaine. Described as a

natural-born hunter: whether it was love, adventure or butterflies, her pursuit was relentless
and her energy legendary. She emerged from an unremarkable Victorian upbringing with an
extraordinary drive to self determination which defined her entire life.
Unconventional by nature, Fountaine was never cowed by society’s strictures, or by what
was expected, this provided her with many exciting opportunities. The price of her freedom
was high but she never regretted her choices. A passionate lover and fearless individualist,
her life was founded on the idiosyncratic determination to pursue her own path irrespective
of convention.

Technique-
Preserving The Moment Xl (Margaret’s Memoirs) was created by constructing a hand-cut

collage using female photographic portraiture, a renaissance style wig made of layers of
hydrangea flowers and photographs of preserved butterfly specimens from my private
collection.
My private collection of specimens were passed down to me from my grandparents and
some gifted from my mother, the rest I have collected when exhibiting in Paris from the
Deyrolle- (oldest taxidermy and natural history shop and museum in Europe).
Being able to use butterflies passed down through generations, pieces I fawned over,
studied in books and adored visiting collections in natural history museums around the
world is a beautiful tribute to my devotion to science and thankfulness my family fed my
quest for knowledge and passion for studying science.

I first learned about Margaret Fountaine on one of my many visits to the Butterfly House in
Williamson Park, Lancaster, England, the visitor guide started telling me a story about her
studies, they showed me books and gave details of where to see her specimens at The
Natural History Museum and her hometown of Norwich (Norwich Castle).
I photographed each specimen, used illustrations from my sketchbooks, some new and
some from my earlier years) as the base of creating her head of butterflies.
After coating the handmade paper with light-sensitive chemistry, they are left to dry in a
dark room. The large scale negatives are then contact- printed onto the paper pieces by
exposure to daylight (UV rays). The prints are then processed by thoroughly washing in
water to remove any unexposed solution. They can then be hung to dry, developing to full
density Prussian blue after 24 hours. Once dried the individual butterflies are cut out and
mounted onto the print to create a multi-layered, 3-dimensional artwork.
Paper
Handmade recycled cotton rag paper: All the paper I make from recycled cotton rags- they
are ripped, blended and pulped then set in molds before drying.
640gsm & 320gsm / 100% Cotton Rag / Recycled / Acid Free / Medium Rough
Mount
We use float mounting for all of our framed cyanotypes. The artwork floats above a
snow-white, Larson- Juhl 1400 microns (8001 white core mount board), to showcase the
paper texture and deckled edging.
Framing
Framed artwork will arrive ready to hang with hardware.
Each frame is handmade by our London based design team.
All frames come with gallery spec, 3mm thick clarity, Artglass AR70 / 3mm anti-reflective/
79% UV protected glazing as standard.
If clients would like a bespoke frame, please let me know as I can have them made in
alternative colours, gilding and glazing options.