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Waterhouse Seaweed

Presented by Bolinas Museum at Bolinas Museum, Bolinas CA

Jan 26 2019

Aug 11 2019

Pressed seaweed from the 1880s, beautifully preserved after over 100 years

Exhibit dates: January 26 – August 11

[Image: Rebecca Esten, Pressed Seaweed, 1880s, Gift of Esten, Waterhouse-Pepper Family, Bolinas Museum Archives.]

History Room

Curated by Elia Haworth

Seaweed pressing was a popular pastime in the Victorian Era, cultivated by Queen Victoria herself.

Rebecca Esten took great pleasure in collecting delicate seaweeds, artistically arranging, and pressing them. She had no idea that her hobby in the 1890s would be preserved and shared in the 21st century.

Created more than one hundred years ago in Bolinas, these pressings are presented for their remarkable beauty and their representation of the wonders of nature.

Esten made these while living with her daughter Nellie Waterhouse who was instrumental in creating Brighton Avenue with sites for homes, including her own, named Esten Terrace, on the hill above today’s Bolinas Post Office.