11 February

Born in 1883, Kokei Kobayashi, Japanese painter.

Above: Hydrangea (detail), c. 1937

Also, born in 1802, American writer and activist Lydia Maria Child.

Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of the character, though few can decypher even fragments of their meaning.