The Huntington Library is an educational and research institution established by Henry Huntington in San Marino, California. In addition to the library, there is an art collection and botanical gardens.

The library contains an extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts, including a Gutenberg Bible, the Ellesmere manuscript, and several historical documents about Abraham Lincoln including the papers of the president's bodyguard Ward Hill Lamon.

The art collection consists of the works of 18th and 19th century British and French artists, and 18th, 19th, and early 20th century American artists, as well as changing exhibitions. The best known work in the collection is Thomas Gainsborough's The Blue Boy.

The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough

Pinkie by Thomas Lawrence

The Huntingon's superb botanical gardens cover 105 acres (425,000 m²) and the theme gardens contain rare plants from around the world. The Desert Garden's succulent collection is particularly fine, but the gardens contain many other notable collections, including the excellent Japanese Garden , Palm Garden, and Jungle Garden. The Huntington has a program to protect and propagate endangered plant species. In 1999 and 2002, a specimen of Amorphophallus titanum, or "corpse flower", bloomed at the facility.

External links

• The Huntington website