Martha King

Martha King (1803 – 31 May 1897) was New Zealand's first resident botanical illustrator. She was a prominent figure in early Whanganui and New Plymouth as a founder of schools in both districts. She was a talented gardener and schoolteacher. The family were Socinians, and it is possible that King worked as a governess before emigrating.

From Wellington, the Kings sailed to Whanganui on board the Elizabeth, arriving on 27 February 1841, and became foundation settlers of the new town. They had purchased a section of the land acquired by Colonel William Wakefield for the New Zealand Company.

In December 1847, the King family moved to New Plymouth, sailing on board the Ralph Bernal.

Work

King was one of the early British and Irish settlers who turned to botanical illustration to "eke out a livelihood in rough conditions".

In September 1842, King was commissioned by the Wellington Horticultural and Botanical Society to prepare two sets of drawings of interesting indigenous botanical specimens, one to be forwarded to the directors of the New Zealand Company, and the other to the London Horticultural Society. Exactly why King was chosen for this commission is unknown. The first set of 40 watercolours was completed by January 1843, reaching the New Zealand Company in London in September 1843; it was acquired by the Alexander Turnbull Library in 1981.

Apart from the botanical watercolours, all that remains of King's work are 16 pencil sketches depicting scenes of Wellington, Whanganui and New Plymouth, dated between 1841 and 1859. Although King later exhibited at the Sydney International Exhibition of 1879, no other examples of her work are known to have survived.

Recognition In 2017, King was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.