Four
Thomas Nuttall

Who are we?

Rafinsque
Alexander Wilson
John Bradbury
William Gambel
John Colter
Wilson Price Hunt
Henry Marie Breckenridge
Richard Henry Dana
Thomas Say
Edwin James
John James Audubon
John Townsend
Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth
Washington Irving
William Baldwin
Augustus Jessup

 

• Moring: Chpt. 3, 4
• Discussion of additional materials
  • What is a closet botanist?
  • How was it that Barton, Englemann, and Gray were in the best positions to receive and examine botanical specimens from the Wet?
  • Which individuals were associated with Barton? What were their roles?
  • Who was the 3rd person associated with Gray and Engelmann? What were the roles of these 3 men as they worked together?
  • What did Gray do that made him the leading figure for American botany in the 19th century?
  • What are the 4 phases of botanical collecting that Shaw describe?
  • What happens in the 1860s to cause an important shift for science, especially with regard to botany in the U.S.?
  • Why was there a backlash against Gray in the Far West?

Five
Thomas Say, Long Expedition

• Moring: Chpt. 5
• Discussion:
  • Thomas Nuttall made three extensive collecting trips in North America.  What were the circumstances behind each trip?  Where did he collect on each trip?
  • What set Nuttall apart from other collectors and describers like Barton and Pursh?  In particular, what was unique about his Genera of North American Plants?  What other books did Nuttall have published?
  • Nuttall was from Great Britain and returned there twice, the second time permanently.  Why did he return each time? 
  • What is your favorite Nuttall anecdote?
  • In 1887, Henry Shaw, the founder of the Missouri Botanic Garden, had an obelisk in memory of Thomas Nuttall installed at what was then the entrance to the garden.  Shaw did this at the urging of George Engelmann. 
    (The building in the background of the color photograph is the botany museum.)  Why do you suppose that out of all of the botanists working in America in the 19th century, Engelmann wanted Nuttall singled out?
• Discussion of additional materials
  • What are your observations of the various maps, 1774 - 1822?
  • What is the significance of Long's designation of the plains as The Great American Desert?
  • What is the value of having 2 artists on the expedition?
• Journal due: September 23

Six
David Douglas

• Moring: Chpt. 6
• Discussion:
  • What was special about the entourages that traveled with Stewart and Prince Maximilian?
  • David Douglas made three extensive collecting trips in North America and the Sandwich Islands. Briefly describe his itinerary for each trip.  Who sponsored Douglas’s travels?  What was their agenda?  Did he meet their expectations?
  • While in California, Douglas joined two other naturalists.  Who were they? Provide a short description of their activities with regard to the natural history of North America.
  • 1st  analytical paper (science) due: Sept. 26. Use the Library Research Guide to find an article related to this class in a scholarly journal.

Seven
The Artists
 

• Morning: Chpts. 6 & 8
• Discussion
  • Look at several images by the artists. What do they want us to see? Who was their audience?
  • Can you tell how they care about their subject?
  • Do the artist's skills matter?