The collection comprises 137 hand-cut paper collages on paper prepared with watercolor, created by Booth Grey (1740-1802) or those in his circle of acquaintances, in the manner of the well-known "paper mosaics" made by Mrs. Delany. Each collage is now mounted in a mat. Some were previously inserted in a leather album with title leaf: "98 plants done by the Honble. Booth Grey" (see item 138). Also present is a collage reconstruction (see item 50a).
"The Booth Grey corpus currently includes 136 collages, which very closely resemble Mary Delany's paper mosaics. They are made from pieces of cut paper, are attached to paper that was painted black, and are individually labeled with the name of the plant depicted. Identification and dating of watermarks and wallpaper stamps on some of the papers in the collages and original Booth Grey album indicate that the initial set of Booth Grey collages was assembled in the 1790s. John Edmondson's essay, which works from the dates of publications that name plants later appearing in the Booth Grey album, confirms this paper evidence."--Reeder, Kohleen. "The 'paper mosaick' practice of Mrs. Delany & her circle." In Mrs. Delany & her circle, edited by Mark Laird and Alicia Weisberg-Roberts. New Haven: Yale Center for British Art, 2009.
"It is apparent through visual examination that several hands were involved in the creation of these collages--the use of different styles and techniques can be observed, and the level of skill with which the collages were executed varies."--Reeder, Kohleen. "The 'paper mosaick' practice of Mrs. Delany & her circle." In Mrs. Delany & her circle, edited by Mark Laird and Alicia Weisberg-Roberts. New Haven: Yale Center for British Art, 2009.