Sarah Featon

Sarah Ann Featon (née Porter, c. 1848 – 28 April 1927) was a botanical artist from New Zealand.

Early life There are few records of Featon's early life. She was of English origin, born to Henry William Porter, a "gentleman of independent means", in 1848, probably in London. It is unclear when she arrived in New Zealand but she is recorded as having married Edward Featon at St Paul's, Auckland in 1870. In 1875 Featon and her husband moved to Gisborne, as Edward had been appointed as the area's first District Land Officer.

Published work During this time Featon and her husband began work on their seminal work The Art Album of New Zealand Flora. The Featons set out to produce their album to debunk the widely held belief that there were no flowers in New Zealand.

The album was the first full-colour art book to be published in New Zealand. The album was originally published in three parts, the first part being released in November 1887 and the next two in 1888. The three parts were issued as a single volume in 1889.

A copy of the book was presented by the New Zealand Government to Queen Victoria in 1897 on the occasion of her diamond jubilee. That copy is now in the British Museum. The Featons had two children but only a son (Edwin, known as Teddy) is thought to have survived childhood. He later worked for a Hawke's Bay stock and station firm Williams and Kettle. In 2021 New Zealand Post released stamps based on her artworks.