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UnknownFlowers of the Sea; Herbarium of foraged, pressed and mounted seaweed (etc.)1884
1884
$2,000
£1,515.77
€1,738.46
CA$2,794.38
A$3,048.52
CHF 1,616.87
MX$36,727.75
NOK 20,521.24
SEK 18,787.75
DKK 12,983.69
About the Item
An extensive, rare herbarium of Atlantic coast seaweed specimens collected between 1884 and 1885 from New York City to Nantucket.
American School, 19th century
Flowers of the Sea; Herbarium of foraged, pressed and mounted seaweed and sea moss specimens from the American pacific and north Atlantic coast, from New York City to Nantucket.
A unique quarto 15 x 12 1/2 inches (382 x 318 mm); 30 double-sided sheets containing approximately 80 preserved specimens of seaweed and sea mosses which are individually dried, mounted to card stock, and tipped-in; each with the genus in Latin, and the date and location of collection handwritten in pencil in the lower mount. Approximately 1 to 5 specimens per page. Binding is broken and significantly worn, with some pages loose. Specimens are intact and separated by blotting paper, and remain in very good to excellent condition, with some exhibiting only minor losses.
While seaweed collecting was a popular Victorian pastime in Britain, this rare herbarium is filled with a profusion of north American specimens primarily from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Nantucket island, as well as some from California, and Bermuda.
In the Victorian era, seaweed collecting (or algology) was far more than a casual beach activity; it was a massive cultural trend that married scientific curiosity, artistic expression, and social freedom. While the Victorians were obsessed with all things natural history (a trend called "natural theology"), seaweed held a unique appeal, especially for women. While studying animal anatomy was seen as "unladylike" at the time, collecting seaweed was considered a genteel and healthy outdoor activity. As a result, several women used the opportunity to make significant scientific contributions.
Often called "Ocean Flowers" or "Sea Mosses," these specimens became the focus of elaborate scrapbooks and pioneered some of the world's first photographic techniques (Anna Adkins's Produced Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions (1843), was the first book ever illustrated with photographs). Today, these Victorian albums are more than just relics of a cultural fad; they are vital biological records. Scientists utilize the DNA from these 150-year-old pressed samples to track how ocean temperatures and species distributions have changed since the Industrial Revolution.
Creating a seaweed album was a meticulous process. Collectors didn't just dry the weeds; they "resurrected" them to look alive on the page. This album demonstrates the incredible skill of the maker.
- Creation Year:1884
- Dimensions:Height: 12.92 in (32.8 cm)Width: 12.52 in (31.8 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Middletown, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: BH23391stDibs: LU1979217427932
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