Alice Stewart Hill, Colorado Springs’ First
Wildflower Artist
Nancy and Ed Bathke,
Manitou Springs
Alice Stewart Hill moved from
New York to Colorado Springs in 1872, where she developed an artistic specialty
in Colorado’s wildflowers and became friends with famed author Helen Hunt
Jackson. When Helen died, Alice inherited publishing rights to a chapter in one
of Helen’s books, resulting in the publication of The Procession of Flowers
in Colorado. This book of Helen’s text was illustrated with Alice’s
watercolors of wildflowers. The limited edition of 100 copies, with actual
hand-done illustrations in each copy, was completed in the late 1880s. The
surviving copies are highly prized for their artistry as well as their
history.
Ed
Bathke, a mathematician and retired computer analyst, and Nancy Bathke, a retired
elementary school teacher, are co-authors of The West in Postage Stamps, and have had articles published in
numerous books and magazines. They have presented local history topics at the
Pikes Peak Library District annual Symposia and several other events mainly in
Colorado Springs area. Nancy is listed in Who’s
Who of American Women, and Who’s Who
in the West, and both Ed and Nancy are listed in Contemporary Authors.
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