Alida was the only daughter to follow in her father’s footsteps. She worked as a botanical illustrator and was part of a network of flower painters and plant collectors. They included Agnes Block, a wealthy collector of flora and fauna who was also the first person in the Netherlands to cultivate a pineapple (ananas linscotti). Withoos travelled to Block’s estate to make drawings of flowers and plants in her collection – including that exceptional pineapple. The Rijksmuseum collection holds several examples of Withoos’s work.
Getting started with the collection: