Kew Gardens (1919) with woodcuts by Vanessa Bell 

Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), author 

Vanessa Bell (1879–1961), artist

Kew Gardens 

Richmond, London: Hogarth Press, 1919

Kew Gardens, Woolf’s experimental story set in London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, was first published in 1919 with two woodcut illustrations by Vanessa Bell, who was so unhappy with the printing quality that she threatened to stop collaborating with her sister. The story, essentially plotless, offers impressionistic descriptions of the flora and fauna, coupled with voyeuristic peeks into the lives and conversations of passersby.