Rosie has created a beautiful snowdrop colouring sheet using a fabric design from a sample book created by Thomas Wardle and Co. Discover some fun facts about snowdrops and download your free colouring sheet!

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If you want more information about the Colour Our Collections project at the Whitworth or you wish to download more of our free colouring sheets, click here.

This beautiful design of Snowdrops (produced c1892-1906) is from a sample book of textiles by Thomas Wardle and co. Thomas Wardle was a British businessman known for his innovative methods of silk dyeing and printing. He was married to textile artist Elizabeth Wardle, and also worked with textile artist William Morris.

An incredibly recognisable flower, snowdrops are a quintessential marker of the changing seasons throughout the parks, gardens and countryside of the UK. The snowdrops in this piece are reminiscent of the quiet misty mornings of the new year, when the first new, green shoots begin to split open the frosty soil and climb their way towards the sun that still hangs low in the sky.

The snowdrops’ ‘first flowering’ each year in the UK is not just an icon of the changing seasons, but has also been used by scientists to track the changes that are happening within our climate and the impact that this may have on our wildlife. It has been documented that warmer, wetter winters have encouraged snowdrops to flower earlier

Snowdrops are also said to be signs of hope and new beginnings. We hope that this colouring sheet will be a creative companion for you throughout the winter as it rolls into the new beginnings that come from spring and the new year. Perhaps it could even accompany you on walks around Whitworth Park during your very own snowdrop spotting walks.

–Rosie