Avenue of Indian Rubber Trees at Peradeniya, Ceylon 1877

Marianne North painted "Avenue of Indian Rubber Trees at Peradeniya, Ceylon" during her travels in the late 19th century. North, a British woman, traveled extensively at a time when such freedom was not typically granted to women of her class. Here, the grand avenue of trees, with its imposing scale and intricate root systems, becomes a stage upon which we can consider the complexities of colonialism. While North’s paintings are celebrated for their botanical detail, we must also reflect on whose perspectives and narratives are centered. The figures, likely local Ceylonese, appear small in comparison to the trees. What does it mean to document a landscape so thoroughly while eliding a deeper engagement with its inhabitants? Consider the ways in which botanical art has historically served imperial projects, framing nature as something to be studied, possessed, and controlled. The emotion of standing in this space, with its beautiful yet fraught history, asks us to think critically about what we see and whose stories are told.