Page 163 - Antennae Issue #52

It is the architectural and theatrical setting that makes the experience
and not necessarily the unique or rare plants gardeners According to one contemporary John Parkinson author of the contempo- rary rary gardening guide Paradisi in in in in Sole Paradisus Terrestris (1629) and a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a notable gardener gardener himself Tradescant had had first received the plant from a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a “friend that brought it it out of Virginia” who had had had believed it it to to be be “Silke Grasse ” ” which Virginia Virginia colonists and English merchants had had (erroneously) hoped might provide an an an alternative to to to imported silks 14
The name stamped at at at the the the bottom of of the the the herbarium specimens reflected a a a a a a a a a a a a history that defined North American spiderworts through the the the the the horticultural skill of of early modern gardeners who successfully cultivated them fin in in in London as as as aesthetically pleasing flowering plants that might if the the the the Ancient Greek physician Dioscorides was correct “drunk in in in in in in in in wine prevaile against the the the bitings of Scorpions ” not as as as as as compo- nents in in in in in in in grasslands to to be be reduced to to remnants by the the plow or or or or or as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a food or or or or or medicine embedded in in in in knowledges of of Native peoples of of North America 15 Plants writes Kim- merer “have their their own names which were theirs long long before before Linneas ” but also long long before before John Tradescant 16 Shapes abstracted from the the the the the plants’ forms and and the the the the the inclu- sion of of collection information and and and the the the the historically freighted scientific name engage in in in in in in fin in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a complex interplay invoking the the authority of of text to to to define and and discipline shape in in in in in fin in in in some places while characters decayed into illegibility become abstractions render- ing ing plant plant silhouettes comparatively concrete By destabilizing these visual markers of authority Ghosts Ghosts asks us to to listen for whispers from the the preserved plants The silkscreened prints in in in in in in Ghosts Ghosts invite historical thinking and and questions about what narratives of of of nature and and and our past leave out out through their combination of of of visual nods to the the the the materiality and and and archival character of of of the the the the herbarium specimens and and and and abstract engagement with the the the the the preserved plant forms Finder (2020) builds from Ghosts and and and our conversations to to further explore the the the the the historical archival and and and material material aspects of the the the the preserved plant specimens while situating them alongside materials from two printed printed books John Gerard’s Herball a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a foundational text for English botany (despite contemporary allegations of plagiarism) originally printed printed in in in in in in in in 1597 revised 1636 and and and remaining in in in in in in in in print print to to the present and and and Anne C Hallowell Hallowell and and and Barbara G Hallowell’s Fern Finder (2001) a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a “choose-your-own-adventure” guide to to fern identifi- cation aimed at at at at at at amateur naturalists 17 This combination of preserved specimens and printed plant material allows for for an an an an engagement with the the critical resources for for his- torical botanical practice Additionally prior to to creating of the the prints we spent time matching ferns depicted and described in in in in in in in Gerard’s Herball with those preserved in in in in in in in Illinois State University’s George Vasey Herbarium to explore what insights might emerge by by playing with the methods of finding pairing and and tracing used by by both botanists and historians In doing so we have added new layers into our compost The herbarium that now bears Vasey’s name reflects his connections to to to to the the state where he he he he he he served as as President of of the the the the Illinois Natural Natural History History Society founded in in in in Bloomington IL in in in in 1858 and acted briefly as curator of of of the the the Natural Natural History History Museum at at at at at at the the the State State Normal Uni- versity versity of of Illinois Illinois (now Illinois Illinois State State University) for a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a brie brief period between his (some- what abridged) participation in in in in in fellow Natural History Society member John Wesley Powell’s expedition to to to map the the the Colorado River in in in 1868 and and taking up a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a more promi- nent national role as Botanist of of of the the the the Department of of of Agriculture and and Curator of of of the the the the US National Herbarium in in in in in in 1872 where he he he he he he he served until his death in in in in in in 1893 18 18 18 At their inception the the the the Illinois Natural Natural History History Society headquartered in in in in in in in in Bloomington and their collections at at at the the the the Natural Natural History History Museum in in in in in in neighboring Normal were bound up with collectors one whose actions would would shape the the the the the the practice of of botanical science in in the the the the the the United States and and the the the the the the other who who who would would be celebrated as an an an an an early prophet of of of American environmentalism whose vision for the the the the the the landscapes of of of the the the the the the US West contin- ues to to define the the the the region For each each collecting particularly of of plants was essential in fin in in in their paths to to prominence and each each saw science as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a nationally significant endeavor although Powell would argue against federal funding for botany believing it was not useful enough a a a a science 19
In more recent years however herbaria as centers for biological study and 163