Sarah Bilston
@sbilston.bsky.social
Victorianist, Professor of English Lit at Trinity College, Hartford. Born and raised in Suffolk, UK.
A mystery orchid. A forgotten archive. Victorian obsession.
Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing.
Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG
Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing.
Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG
November 17, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bilston
A mystery orchid. A forgotten archive. Victorian obsession.
Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing.
Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG
Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing.
Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG
September 26, 2025 at 4:22 PM
A mystery orchid. A forgotten archive. Victorian obsession.
Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing.
Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG
Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing.
Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG
Reposted by Sarah Bilston
📣 Only 15 days left to submit to the fall issue. Bring us your best! Submit here: www.cherryroadreview.com/submit
August 1, 2025 at 12:04 PM
📣 Only 15 days left to submit to the fall issue. Bring us your best! Submit here: www.cherryroadreview.com/submit
Thanks to Miranda Melcher for a really probing, detailed interview on The Lost Orchid for the New Books Network @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social
Sarah Bilston, "The Lost Orchid: A Story of Victorian Plunder and Obsession" (Harvard UP, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
June 11, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Thanks to Miranda Melcher for a really probing, detailed interview on The Lost Orchid for the New Books Network @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social
I'm a bit thrilled about this! The image, which I discuss in The Lost Orchid, was made in the 1820s. It's the first (European) illustration of an orchid that would obsess generations - sort of a botanical pin-up bsky.app/profile/nybo...
May 27, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I'm a bit thrilled about this! The image, which I discuss in The Lost Orchid, was made in the 1820s. It's the first (European) illustration of an orchid that would obsess generations - sort of a botanical pin-up bsky.app/profile/nybo...
Reposted by Sarah Bilston
Many historians "have come to see colonizers as oppressors and colonized peoples as oppressed," Sarah Bilston writes. But Victorian orchid hunters are not easy to place in this dichotomy:
How Orchid Hunters Complicate Colonial Narratives
They were sent to exploit foreign lands, but they were victims of exploitation themselves.
bit.ly
May 18, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Many historians "have come to see colonizers as oppressors and colonized peoples as oppressed," Sarah Bilston writes. But Victorian orchid hunters are not easy to place in this dichotomy:
Reposted by Sarah Bilston
In 1818, a curious root arrived in a small English village, tucked—seemingly by accident—in a packing case mailed from Brazil.
"The story seemed odd to me: surely someone knew how it got into the packing case?"
We sat down with Sarah Bilston, author of The Lost Orchid: tinyurl.com/38k4ky27
"The story seemed odd to me: surely someone knew how it got into the packing case?"
We sat down with Sarah Bilston, author of The Lost Orchid: tinyurl.com/38k4ky27
May 15, 2025 at 6:57 PM
In 1818, a curious root arrived in a small English village, tucked—seemingly by accident—in a packing case mailed from Brazil.
"The story seemed odd to me: surely someone knew how it got into the packing case?"
We sat down with Sarah Bilston, author of The Lost Orchid: tinyurl.com/38k4ky27
"The story seemed odd to me: surely someone knew how it got into the packing case?"
We sat down with Sarah Bilston, author of The Lost Orchid: tinyurl.com/38k4ky27
This is how orchid-hunting was represented in 19th cent British lit: brave hunter goes on expedition, pushes through undergrowth and at last, gasp, there it is. Letters show that isn't what happened at all - hunters found knowledgeable locals who showed them the way #lostorchid
May 6, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This is how orchid-hunting was represented in 19th cent British lit: brave hunter goes on expedition, pushes through undergrowth and at last, gasp, there it is. Letters show that isn't what happened at all - hunters found knowledgeable locals who showed them the way #lostorchid
This may well cross (actually, march all over) the showing-off line... but if you are looking for a Mother's Day gift, The Lost Orchid has a Kirkus starred review - www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...
May 5, 2025 at 2:11 PM
This may well cross (actually, march all over) the showing-off line... but if you are looking for a Mother's Day gift, The Lost Orchid has a Kirkus starred review - www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...
I'm so looking forward to speaking about my new book, The Lost Orchid, at RJ Julia in Middletown on Tuesday, 6pm! events.wesleyan.edu/event/13697-...
Sarah Bilston, “The Lost Orchid”
Join local professor Sarah Bilston as she launches her brand new book exploring the history behind the search for one of the most sought-after flow...
events.wesleyan.edu
May 5, 2025 at 1:42 PM
I'm so looking forward to speaking about my new book, The Lost Orchid, at RJ Julia in Middletown on Tuesday, 6pm! events.wesleyan.edu/event/13697-...
Obviously I’m biased but I do think this would make a great gift for an orchid-lover - no ice cubes needed! #lostorchid
April 13, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Obviously I’m biased but I do think this would make a great gift for an orchid-lover - no ice cubes needed! #lostorchid
Had a lot of fun talking about Orchidomania (and cultural manias in general) with Colin McEnroe today -
www.ctpublic.org/show/the-col...
www.ctpublic.org/show/the-col...
A look at cultural manias from Liszt and orchids to the Beatles and beyond
This hour on The Colin McEnroe Show, we explore a centuries-long flower frenzy and modern-day fanaticism to uncover why we are so drawn to being "totally obsessed."
www.ctpublic.org
April 1, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Had a lot of fun talking about Orchidomania (and cultural manias in general) with Colin McEnroe today -
www.ctpublic.org/show/the-col...
www.ctpublic.org/show/the-col...
One month until The Lost Orchid is published, can hardly believe it. Meanwhile, here's some pretty pictures of orchids and a Q&A:
www.hup.harvard.edu/features/the...
www.hup.harvard.edu/features/the...
The Curious Case of the Lost Orchid: An Interview with Sarah Bilston — Harvard University Press
In 1818, a curious root arrived in a small English village, tucked—seemingly by accident—in a packing case mailed from Brazil. The amateur botanist who cultivated it soon realized that he had somethin...
www.hup.harvard.edu
April 1, 2025 at 8:34 PM
One month until The Lost Orchid is published, can hardly believe it. Meanwhile, here's some pretty pictures of orchids and a Q&A:
www.hup.harvard.edu/features/the...
www.hup.harvard.edu/features/the...
This is the gorgeous cover of my new book, by the amazing designer Gabriele Wilson! And I just learned The Lost Orchid got a Kirkus starred review, so I’m going to sit here staring at it
March 4, 2025 at 6:26 PM
This is the gorgeous cover of my new book, by the amazing designer Gabriele Wilson! And I just learned The Lost Orchid got a Kirkus starred review, so I’m going to sit here staring at it