Faith Fyles

Today is the birthday of the botanical artist Faith Fyles who was born on this day in 1875.

Fyles was trained as a botanist, but her natural artistic talent became apparent early in her career.
She was the first female hired by the Canadian Department of Agriculture. In 1920, she transferred to the horticulture division, where she began producing colored illustrations of plant specimens, especially fruits and ornamentals.
Fyles is remembered for her work on the 1920 bulletin, Principal Poison Plants of Canada. The bulletin was prepared for farmers so that they could discern the problematic plants on their properties and avoid pasturing animals with poisonous plants. The book was offered free through the Ottawa Department of Agriculture.
Over her career, Fyles had the opportunity to study art with Stanhope Forbes in England and with Rene Menard and Lucien Simon in Paris.