Fleda Griffith: Home

The New York Botanical Garden’s first female photographer, Fleda Griffith was responsible for the pictorial sightings of the Garden’s corpse flower, Amorphophallus Titanum. In 1937, the flower bloomed in the Conservatory for all to see and Griffith captured its growth. At the rate of four inches in diameter an hour, the size and fishy smell of the corpse flower engulfed the space, and Griffith took on the odorous task of taking pictures for two weeks (1).

In the 96-degree, sweltering heat, Griffith “... was on almost constant duty in the greenhouse for several days, recording its aspect from different angles and assisting in the scientific work which accompanied its blooming by photographing the various parts being studied. Her work went on, in fact, through the collapse of the spadix, the curious twisting of the spathe, which continued for several days, the collapse of the spathe itself, the digging up of the corm, and the final division of the corm for propagation.” (2)

Fleda started in the photography business after she left her hometown job with the National Cash Register Company (N.C.R) in Dayton, Ohio. At a young age, she became tired of the office environment and went on to take photography and art courses. Obtaining instruction from renowned photographer Clarence H. White at Teachers College-Columbia University, she became a freelancer, taking flower pictures for nursery men (3). This grew her love for florals and botanical knowledge and by 1919, she pursued freelancing at NYBG. A part of Elizabeth Britton’s preservation of native plants initiative, Fleda hand-colored lantern slides (glass transparencies used for educational purposes). By 1932, Fleda was appointed the Garden’s permanent staff photographer and her photos graced various issues of the Journal of the New York Botanical Garden.

In charge of the Photography Department, Fleda inventoried every item in ledger books, maintaining records of the negative and lantern slide collection. Although photography was her primary role, her illustrative artistry could be found on numerous glass slides and scientific journals: Mycologia and Addisonia. She worked with notable botanists including T.H. Everett, Fred Seaver, Arlow Stout, William Robbins and Henry Teuscher, creating watercolor botanical illustrations (a total of 24 illustrations by Fleda remain in the Mertz Art and Illustrations collection). Supervisor of NYBG’s Public Education, Foreman T. Mclean described Fleda’s work as artistic, and her “accurate color work” [created] “favorable comments by lecture attendees”. Having participated in NYBG lectures and garden club speaking engagements, Fleda presented information on how to photograph flowers.

In 1939, the New York Times newspaper highlighted Fleda and her work in the article, “An Expert Finds Fascination In Photographing of Flowers; Testing The Light For Floral Studies.” Beyond the 20th century, recognition for her work continues in Phaidon’s 2025 newly published, “The Rose Book”. For the first time, Fleda's hand-colored slide of NYBG’s “Rose Garden” is published in the book which celebrates the iconic rose flower. With a collective of 200 images, the book can be found in Mertz Library. 

After her decade-long career at the Garden, Fleda decided to retire and pursue independent work at her “Misses Griffiths” New York studio. She worked with botanist and horticulture professor Charles A. Schroeder and her photographic lantern slides can be found at the University of California- Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of South Florida. A relevant, significant figure in women’s history, Fleda capitalized on her crafts. She pivoted from an office space to creating her role at the Garden and going after what she wanted, Misses Fleda Griffith paved her own way, unapologetically.