The floral legacy of the Empress Joséphine is celebrated in an exhibition of rare rose books.

When the wife of France’s Napoléon Bonaparte died in 1814, she left behind a floral legacy that lives on in gardens around the world:  A passion for roses that greatly influenced the way we know the flower today.  The role played by Empress Joséphine in the development of modern roses is at the heart of a new exhibition opening Feb. 9 and continuing through April 28, 2008, at The Huntington.

“La Rose Impériale: The Development of Modern Roses” will showcase 110 rare illustrated herbals and rose books, including a first edition of Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s glorious multivolume work, Les Roses (1817-24).

The domestic architecture of Wallace Neff (1895-1982), particularly that inspired by Spanish-Mediterranean styles, is respected, emulated, and highly sought after by Southern California home buyers.

Neff’s remarkable architectural achievement, commitment to his clients, and contributions to the built environment of Southern California are extensively documented in the collections of the Huntington Library. Last year Wallace Neff, Jr. presented his father’s papers to The Huntington, which include sketches, notebooks, photographs, and architectural drawings. This small exhibition celebrates this gift and displays a sampling of other significant material related to Neff’s work in the Library. These few drawings and photographs demonstrate Neff’s skills as an artist and the execution of a gifted architect. On exhibit through May 12.

Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Smith wrote daily for most of his 42-year career with the paper, producing some 6,000 columns about life in the city. Along the way he became one of the most popular newspaper columnists in Southern California history; reading him was considered a daily “must.” He died in January 1996, just a few weeks after the appearance of his last column, on Christmas Day 1995. A new exhibition running at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens from Feb. 15 to May 12, 2008, takes a look at Smith the journalist, family man, and social commentator. The Huntington acquired Smith’s papers in 2005.

The Huntington Library.

The Huntington Library,  1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. (626) 405-2100.  Website:  |www.huntington.org

Open: Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Cost: Admission:  $15 adults, $11 seniors, $10 students (ages 12-18), $6 youth (ages 5-11), free for children under 5.  Members are admitted free.