Search Results
Number of collections: 31
The collections listed are unprocessed or underprocessed and access may be limited pending further processing. For more information or to use any of the collections, please contact the institution listed at the top of each collection entry or follow the specific instructions provided.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Title: Philadelphia gardens slide collection.
Dates: 1930
Extent: 5.85 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Scope and Content Note: The collection consists of glass lantern slides, donated by the Garden Club of America, in color of photographs of Philadelphia area gardens and homes, including Andalusia, Stenton, Highlands, and Ludington. The collection also contains several portraits of notable Philadelphians and horticulturists and landscape plans. There are also 35mm slide reproductions of many of the lantern slides.
Subjects: Gardens--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region. /
Genres: Lantern slides. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: John Wister slide collection and Anne Wertsner Wood slide collection.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Ballard, Ernesta Drinker.
Title: Ernesta Drinker Ballard research materials on the history of horticultural organizations.
Dates: 1975-1976
Extent: .33 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: Ernesta Drinker Ballard (1920-2005) was a founding member of the National Organization for Women and a horticulturist. Ballard closed a successful horticultural business in 1964 to head up the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and supervise its annual extravaganza, the Philadelphia Flower Show. She expanded the flower show from a staff of four to more than 100 employees. She retired in 1981.
Scope and Content Note: The collection consists of research materials compiled by Ernesta Drinker Ballard while writing a paper titled "The Organizations of Horticulture" for a 1976 symposium. Materials include printed materials from horticultural organizations, photocopies from books and printed materials on horticultural organizations and other horticultural topics, responses to questionnaires and surveys sent by Ballard and Carol Lynch to various organizations, and drafts of the paper.
Subjects: Horticulture--Societies, etc. /
Genres: Research notes. /
Themes: Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: University of Delaware
Website: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Creator: Browning, Armistead W., Jr.
Title: Armistead W. Browning, Jr. papers.
Dates: 1960-1987
Extent: 31.5 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: Born in 1938, Armistead Willis Browning, Jr., was a landscape architect, environmentalist, and teacher who dedicated his life to environmental preservation and education, and to his career as a landscape designer. Mr. Browning was the founder of Turtle Creek Designs, a landscape design consulting firm in Pocopson, Pennsylvania. The firm did residential work and large-scale environmental studies. Browning worked extensively with the Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford and Pocopson Township, producing landmark studies of the scenic, historical, and natural features of the Brandywine Valley Region. From 1977 until his death in 1987, Browning taught courses in landscape design and native plant horticulture at the University of Delaware. His weekly column, "Notes from Turtle Creek," appeared in The Kennett Paper. He was also an accomplished and prolific photographer of landscape and the natural world.
Scope and Content Note: The Armistead W. Browning, Jr., papers consist of material dating from 1960-1987. The papers contain lecture notes on landscape architecture and design, Japanese gardens, native plants and meadows, ecological and environmental topics; material relating to his work with the Brandywine Valley Association and Turtle Creek; notebooks and field books; and copies of his newspaper column, "Notes from Turtle Creek." Also included are approximately 200 plans and drawings for many of his landscaping assignments, and approximately 9,700 slides of gardens, flora, and landscapes.
Personal and Corporate Names: Brandywine Conservancy. / Brandywine Valley Association. /
Genres: Architectural drawings. / Artifacts. / Clippings. / Diaries. / Field notes. / Genealogies. / Lecture notes. / Microforms. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Education / Environment / Horticulture /
Preliminary finding aid available online at http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/browning.htm
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: University of Delaware
Website: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Creator: Conard-Pyle Co.
Title: Conard-Pyle Company records.
Dates: 1891-2000
Extent: 138 linear feet
Language: Materials in English and French.
Biographical or Historical Note: Located in West Grove, Pennsylvania, the Conard-Pyle Company was originally organized in 1897 by Alfred S. Conard and A. Morris Jones as a mail-order nursery and seed business specializing in own-root roses grown from cuttings and sold while still small. Robert Pyle joined the company in 1898 and purchased control in it after Conard's death in 1907. Pyle rapidly developed the business with the popular sale of two-year-old field-grown plants on grafted roots, which brought higher prices and yielded plants that would bloom in the first year of purchase. Pyle became an internationally known nurseryman and authority on roses, serving in leadership positions on the American Rose Society, the National Association of Plant Patent Owners, the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboretums, the American Horticultural Society, and other organizations. The most famous rose introduced by Pyle is the Peace rose, patented in 1943 from the work of the French hybridizer Francis Meilland. Nearly every new rose today is descended from the Peace rose.
Scope and Content Note: The Conard-Pyle Company Archives consist of records from this prominent West Grove, Pennsylvania, rose nursery that span the dates 1891-2000. The extensive collection includes nursery catalogs and brochures, publications, plant patents and records of the license department, annual reports, correspondence and memoranda, photographs, and memorabilia. In addition to documenting the products and business of Conard-Pyle, the collection provides information about the history of the rose, international horticultural research, professional organizations, flower shows, and all aspects of the nursery trade.
Genres: Business records. / Catalogs. / Correspondence. /
Themes: Business and commerce / Horticulture /
Preliminary finding aid available online at http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/conard.htm
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: University of Delaware
Website: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Creator: Crocker, Charles David.
Title: Charles David Crocker papers.
Dates: 1829-2001 (bulk 1960-1980)
Extent: 11.2 linear feet
Language: Materials in English and French.
Biographical or Historical Note: Charles David Crocker (1917-2004) was an agronomist for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1957 to 1972. He received his degree in agronomy from the University of Delaware in 1938, and afterwards worked in soil conservation and with the Civilian Conservation Corps in Maryland. He was an officer in the U.S. Navy, and served in the Pacific during World War II and worked in intelligence during the Korean War. In his work for USAID, he contributed to soil conservation, reforestation, and crop improvement programs in Korea (1957-1961), Cambodia (1961-1963), Vietnam (1963-1965 and 1969-1972), Turkey (1965-1966), and Ghana (1966-1968). After his retirement from USAID, Crocker sold real estate in Arlington, Virginia (1972-2000).
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of the papers of Charles David Crocker. Materials include: photographs and slides, printed reports and articles documenting his work in Cambodia, Vietnam, Turkey, and Ghana; school notebooks; agricultural and rural development booklets and reports; correspondence; bibles and religious books; and certificates and plaques.
Genres: Awards. / Reports. /
Themes: Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Germantown Garden Club (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Title: Germantown Garden Club scrapbook.
Dates: 1959-1983
Extent: .25 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Germantown Garden Club was formed in 1932 by Natalie Kimber, Mary Wright, and several other friends who had for a number of years been gardening together and sharing information about plants and their cultivation. The group and its various members took trips to collect specimens, held contests for arrangement and plant specimens in advance of the annual Philadelphia Flower Show, engaged in community gardening projects, planted victory gardens, and sponsored lectures. In addition to entering the Flower Show as competitors, members of the Germantown Garden Club served as hostesses at the event. The club was disbanded sometime prior to 2000.
Scope and Content Note: This a scrapbook related to the Germantown Garden Club. Items include: articles and newspaper clippings; Philadelphia Flower Show schedules and entry cards; awards and ribbons; photographs and slides; and a typed history of the club as told by one of its members.
Personal and Corporate Names: Philadelphia Flower Show. /
Subjects: Gardening--Societies, etc. /
Places: Philadelphia (Pa.)--Social life and customs. /
Genres: Awards. / Photographs. / Scrapbooks. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: University of Delaware
Website: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Creator: Kee, Ed, 1951-, collector.
Title: Peninsula Horticultural Society Collection.
Dates: 1953-1986
Extent: .6 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: Ed Kee is a vegetable crop specialist for the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Service. He is the author of Saving Our Harvest: The Story of the Mid-Atlantic Region's Canning and Freezing Industry. Kee also serves on the Delaware Heritage Commission, and the board of the Delaware Agriculture Museum. The Peninsula Horticultural Society, was established in 1886, to encourage horticulture in the Delmarva peninsula.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of materials related to the Peninsula Horticultural Society. Records include: meeting minutes (1956-1988); annual reports; correspondence; and photographs. The collection also includes copies of the Delmarva Vegetable Marketing Guide and the Fruit and Vegetable Forecast.
Genres: Annual reports. / Correspondence. / Minutes. /
Themes: Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: University of Delaware
Website: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Creator: Meserve, Kathleen K.
Title: Meserve Holly collection.
Dates: 1947-1989
Extent: 5 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: Kathleen Kellogg Meserve (1906-1999) was an amateur horticulturist from Long Island who produced a series of hardy holly hybrids that have become standard in nurseries and gardens in the United States and Europe. Meserve's interest in holly began shortly after World War II when she and her family moved to a 10-acre estate in St. James on Long Island, where she attended a local garden-club lecture about holly. In 1975 the American Horticultural Society honored Meserve for her "outstanding contributions to amateur horticulture," and six years later she received the Eloise Payne Luquer Medal of the Garden Club of America for her work in hybridizing hollies and greatly extending their temperature range. The profits from the sale of Mrs. Meserve's holly patents helped to maintain her estate, which came to be called Holly-by-Golly. Her plants are sold by commercial growers throughout the world.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of materials related to Kathleen Meserve's horticultural work and her business Holly-By-Golly. Materials in the collection include: business and personal correspondence, propagation records, financial records, brochures, posters, printed reference material and catalogs, magazines, journals, books, slides and photographs, and seeds.
Genres: Catalogs. / Clippings. / Correspondence. / Financial records. / Photographs. / Posters. / slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Horticulture /
Related collections: University of Delaware: Conard-Pyle Company records (has information on Holly-By-Golly).
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Neighborhood Garden Association of Philadelphia.
Title: Neighborhood Garden Association of Philadelphia collection.
Dates: 1953-1971
Extent: 4 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Neighborhood Garden Association of Philadelphia was founded in 1953 by Louise Bush-Brown, an author of gardening books and the Director of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture in Ambler. After a trip to Europe, she got the idea of planting window boxes in depressed areas of Philadelphia to improve conditions in the inner-city neighborhoods and organized constructive garden projects for adult and youth groups.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of materials related to the Neighborhood Garden Association of Philadelphia. Items include: a copy of the by-laws; a list of board of directors (1969); minutes (1971); correspondence of Louise Bush-Brown related to NGA lectures and programs; reports on projects and histories of the NGA; several drafts of "Flower That Touched a City's Heart," an article by Bush-Brown on the NGA; a scrapbook (1955-1966); and photo albums. The collection includes many slides documenting the association's projects, beginning in 1953. These projects include the Garden Block program and Demonstration Gardens. Many of the slides note the addresses of the gardens and the year.
Personal and Corporate Names: Bush-Brown, Louise Carter, 1897- /
Subjects: Community gardens--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. / Urban beautification--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Genres: Correspondence. / Minutes. / Photograph albums. / Scrapbooks. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Architecture and urban planning / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pearce Seed Company.
Title: Pearce Seed Company catalogue materials collection.
Dates: 1937-1961
Extent: .75 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: Rex D. Pearce was a seedsman and nurseryman with operations in Merchantsville and Moorestown, New Jersey. His company specialized in rare seeds, bulbs, and plants. The nursery and seed company flourished between the 1920s and the 1960s.
Scope and Content Note: This collection consists of botanical illustrations, many produced for the Pearce Seed Company seed catalogues. The illustrations are preserved in a variety of stages of production, from pencil sketches and inked drawings to printed versions. There is a series of over 100 illustrations of individual species drawn by R.M. DonDero, accompanied by typescript or manuscript descriptions and cultivation information. Other artists represented in the collection include Elmer H. Kreps and Eleanor B. Acker, who created cover illustrations for the Pearce Seed Company catalogs.
Subjects: Botanical illustration. / Seeds--Catalogs. /
Genres: Drawings. / Illustrations. /
Themes: Applied arts and design / Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Seed Catalogs collection.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennock, J. Liddon.
Title: J. Liddon Pennock collection.
Dates: 1901-2005
Extent: 2.6 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: J. Liddon Pennock (1913-2003) was a noted Philadelphia horticultural and floral designer. For many years, he ran his family's business, a Center City flower shop that provided floral decorations for countless society weddings as well as the Nixon White House. In 1966, Pennock turned the business over to his employees and focused his energies on Meadowbrook Farm, his 25-acre estate, where he established a successful retail nursery and garden shop. He joined the Council of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 1947, and served as its president from 1954-1957. He was actively involved with the Philadelphia Flower Show, both as an exhibitor and as an advisor.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of materials collected by and about J. Liddon Pennock. Items include: printed volumes on gardening and landscape design, several inscribed by the authors or givers; papers related to his estate Meadowbrook and the bequest of that estate to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, including appraisals of the furnishings and an auction catalog; a scrapbook compiled by the staff of the Morris Arboretum for his 80th birthday, which includes photos, personal letters, and information on the naming of a new variety of Enkianthus perulatus "J.L. Pennock"; photos and slides of Pennock, the interior and gardens of Meadowbrook, and other gardens; a scrapbook on the 1971 wedding of Tricia Nixon and Edward Cox, for which Pennock designed the flowers; his bible; copies of a 1993 management contract for the running of the nursery and plant sales business at Meadowbrook; a genealogical chart of the Pennock family; and artifacts, including his library seal, protractors and stencils.
Personal and Corporate Names: Meadowbrook Farm (Meadowbrook, Pa.) /
Subjects: Gardens--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region. / Horticulturists. /
Genres: Genealogies. / Photographs. / Scrapbooks. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Genealogy / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society audiovisual materials.
Dates: 1970-2007
Extent: 5.25 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers lectures and workshops, publishes the magazine Green Scene, and hosts the yearly Philadelphia Flower Show. First held in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show has grown to be the world's largest indoor flower exhibition. Proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program, Philadelphia Green, which supports the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is also home to the McLean Library, a collection of over 15,000 books on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of audiovisual materials related to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Philadelphia Flower Show, and Philadelphia Green. Materials include: films, VHS videos, DVDs, and U-matic tapes of the Philadelphia Flower Show (1989, 1992?, 1996-2007); film, VHS videos, DVDs, and audiocassettes of Philadelphia Green events, including the 25th anniversary celebration; a copy of the bicentennial film "How Long is Always"; copies of a vinyl record of the 1976 musical "Flourish!"; video reels of television broadcasts on the 10,000 Trees program; film and video of "Room to Grow"; audiocassettes of interviews with Dr. John Wister, Ernesta Ballard, and others; audiocassettes of meetings about various Pennsylvania Horticultural Society programs; and a reel-to-reel tape of talks by Ernesta Ballard (1981) and Edwin Wolf 2nd (1970). The collection also includes a small number of videos of produced by other horticultural organizations, and film of gardens in Lower Merion Township, including those of Joseph W. Anderson and D. Anderson.
Personal and Corporate Names: Ballard, Ernesta Drinker. / Philadelphia Flower Show. / Philadelphia Green (Program) / Wister, John Caspar, 1887-1982. / Wolf, Edwin, 1911-1991. /
Subjects: Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. / Gardens--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region. / Horticulture--Societies, etc. / Urban renewal--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Genres: Interviews. / Motion pictures. / Sound recordings. / Video recordings. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society eighteenth century garden records.
Dates: 1964-1975
Extent: .8 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society planted and maintained a garden at their headquarters at 325 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. This garden was in Independence National Historical Park, and was a recreation of an English-style garden, with paved walkways, parterres full of flowers, a small orchard, and an area for vegetables. The plants in the garden were a mixture of native species and those brought to the colonies from Europe. The garden was dedicated in 1966 by Lady Bird Johnson.
Scope and Content Note: This collection documents the garden that the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society planted and maintained in Independence National Historical Park. Materials include: correspondence about planning and planting of the garden, maintenance, and publicity; lists of plants suitable for eighteenth century gardens; garden plans; estimates and invoices from landscapers and nurseries; work schedules and lists of volunteers; and a small number of photographs. The collection also includes a copy of a Time-Life guide to annuals, in which an image of the garden appears.
Subjects: Gardens--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region. /
Genres: Correspondence. / Receipts (financial records). /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society glass plate slides and negatives collection.
Dates: 1903-1935
Extent: 2.2 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The McLean Library, formed shortly after the founding of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, currently holds over 15,000 volumes on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening, and the archives of the Philadelphia Flower Show and the society. The library also houses nearly 30,000 images of the Philadelphia Flower Show, pre-World War II estate gardens of the Philadelphia area, and garden and landscape images from around the world, 1930s-1960s.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of glass slides and glass plate negatives depicting gardens, flowers, vegetables, and animals. Items include a series of 5" x 7" color slides of the gardens and home of Mrs. Richard Haughton; a series of 4.75" x 3.5" color slides of Alpine flowers taken in and around Correvon, Switzerland; a series of slides taken during a Garden Club of America tour of Japan, China, and Honolulu in 1935; and a series of black and white glass plate negatives of vegetables, horses, and flowers from the early 1900s.
Subjects: Flowers--Pictorial works. / Vegetables--Pictorial works. /
Places: Asia--Description and travel. /
Genres: Lantern slides. / Negatives (Photographic) /
Themes: Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: John Wister slide collection.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society member registers and subscription books.
Dates: 1827-1894
Extent: .5 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers lectures and workshops, publishes the magazine Green Scene, and hosts the yearly Philadelphia Flower Show. First held in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show has grown to be the world's largest indoor flower exhibition. Proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program, Philadelphia Green, which supports the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is also home to the McLean Library, a collection of over 15,000 books on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of volumes related to membership and subscriptions to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. There are two volumes of subscriptions to the society listing the earliest members; one volume includes original signatures of members, including those of George Pepper, Horace Binney, Caspar Wistar, and Mathew Carey. The other volume is a transcription of the names in the first volume. The Register of Members (1827-1874) includes the date each member joined the society, name, address, by whom their membership was proposed, and remarks on their membership status. The collection also includes a small subscription book listing purchasers of bonds that were issued in 1894 to raise funds to rebuild the Horticultural Hall.
Subjects: Horticulture--Societies, etc. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society minute books.
Dates: 1827-2001
Extent: 5.25 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers lectures and workshops, publishes the magazine Green Scene, and hosts the yearly Philadelphia Flower Show. First held in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show has grown to be the world's largest indoor flower exhibition. Proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program, Philadelphia Green, which supports the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is also home to the McLean Library, a collection of over 15,000 books on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening.
Scope and Content Note: This collection comprises the minutes of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (1827-2001). The minutes document the business, activities, and projects undertaken by the society. The volumes include reports from standing and special committees, department and project reports, and lists of premiums and awards. Committees from the early period of the society include Plants and Flowers, New Plants, Fruits, and Vegetables; committees from later years include Finance, Library, Building, and Flower Show (as well committees for other events). In addition to reports from committees, the minute books contain some announcements of events, correspondence, financial reports, and lists of awards.
Personal and Corporate Names: Philadelphia Flower Show. /
Subjects: Horticulture--Societies, etc. /
Genres: Minutes. / Reports. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society oversize and miscellaneous materials.
Dates: 1806-2007
Extent: 1.5 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers lectures and workshops, publishes the magazine Green Scene, and hosts the yearly Philadelphia Flower Show. First held in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show has grown to be the world's largest indoor flower exhibition. Proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program, Philadelphia Green, which supports the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is also home to the McLean Library, a collection of over 15,000 books on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of prints, photographs, awards and garden plans related to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia Flower Show. Materials include: posters from the Philadelphia Flower Show (1956-1957, 1966-1975, 1985-1986, and 1996-2007); a guest book and Philadelphia City Council citation from the 175th anniversary of the Philadelphia Flower Show in 2004; photographic portraits of past presidents of the society; photographs and prints of buildings that have housed the society; membership certificates and awards from the late 19th and early 20th centuries; a colored lithograph of the interior of Horticultural Hall, probably from the 1876 volume Treasures of Art, Industry and Manufacture Represented in the American Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia; posters and photographs from society events and programs, such as 10,000 Trees and the Street Tree Program; a printed tissue square from a "Ladies' Reception" at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; and metal signs for Philadelphia Green. The collection also includes photographs by Clara Sippell and Ida Pritchett of Castena, the garden of Alba B. Johnson in Rosemont, Pennsylvania; two botanical engravings (1983-1984) by Nosta Glaser; plates from books, including title pages and lithographs from Redoute's Les Liliacees (1808), reproduction of plates from Catesby and other printed works on horticulture; an image from the Illustrated London News depicting the 1806 horticultural exhibition at Kensington; and plans for the gardens at Andorra Inn.
Personal and Corporate Names: Philadelphia Flower Show. /
Subjects: Horticulture--Societies, etc. /
Genres: Awards. / Ephemera. / Photographs. / Portraits. / Posters. / Prints (Visual works) /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society printed materials collection.
Dates: 1831-2007
Extent: 18.8 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers lectures and workshops, publishes the magazine Green Scene, and hosts the yearly Philadelphia Flower Show. First held in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show has grown to be the world's largest indoor flower exhibition. Proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program, Philadelphia Green, which supports the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is also home to the McLean Library, a collection of over 15,000 books on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of printed materials produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society relating to the Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia Green, the Harvest Show, the Junior Flower Show, and other society events and programs. Materials include: Programs for Annual Exhibition (Autumn Flower Show) (1862-1924); programs for the Philadelphia Flower Show (1925-2007); tickets, invitations, postcards, posters, handbills, awards, and advertiser and exhibitor blank contracts for the Philadelphia Flower Show; programs, announcements, and tickets for the Junior Flower Show and the Harvest Show; programs and announcements for concerts, lecture series, and garden visits sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; society membership cards; blank ballots for the election of members to the Executive Council of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; and programs and brochures from flower shows in other cities. The collection also includes printed copies of the society's constitution, bylaws, yearbook, and newsletters, including an 1831 copy of the constitution and bylaws; an 1850 catalog of the holdings of the society's library; a 1987 Center City Greening study and a copy of the "Urban Vacant Lands" study; copies of Indoor Gardening Classroom (a Pennsylvania Horticultural Society publication); Horticultural Hall stock certificates; a copy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society council and committee listings for 2004; and several photographs of the society's events.
Personal and Corporate Names: Philadelphia Flower Show. / Philadelphia Green (Program) /
Subjects: Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. / Horticulture--Societies, etc. /
Genres: Awards. / Bylaws. / Constitutions. / Handbills. / Newsletters. / Postcards. / Posters. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society records.
Dates: 1811-2003 (bulk 1950s-1990s)
Extent: 24.75 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers lectures and workshops, publishes the magazine Green Scene, and hosts the yearly Philadelphia Flower Show. First held in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show has grown to be the world's largest indoor flower exhibition. Proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program, Philadelphia Green, which supports the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is also home to the McLean Library, a collection of over 15,000 books on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening.
Scope and Content Note: This collection documents many aspects of the history of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia Flower Show. Administrative records of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in this collection include: printed articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws; minutes, reports, and correspondence of committees of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, including Finance, Executive, Awards, and Exhibits; and director's and president's correspondence and files, primarily for Ernesta Drinker Ballard, J. Liddon Pennock, Jr., and George R. Clark. The director's records consist primarily of incoming and outgoing correspondence regarding exhibitions and events, relationships with other organizations, board business, local government/political issues (such as the society's opposition to Schuylkill Expressway), and local horticultural resources, such as Morris Arboretum and Fairmount Park, including Horticultural Hall. Other administrative records include: correspondence regarding trusts; annual financial statements (1924-1945 and 1954-1962); and records related the allocation of funds from the Annual Horticultural Advancement Fund. There is also documentation related to the society's buildings, including leases, architectural drawings, and photographs. The collection contains documentation of the society's events and programs, such as the Philadelphia Flower Show, and includes materials related to the transfer of the show from the auspices of the Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc. to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in the late 1960s. There are also detailed awards lists from the Flower Show from 1988 to 1994; documentation of the 175th anniversary of the show in 2004; and artifacts and ephemera, such as awards, plaques, ribbons, medals, tickets, membership cards, and printing plates for images of medals and awards. Other events and programs documented include the planning of the Governor's Gardens and the Azalea Garden in Fairmount Park; the society's participation in the International Horticultural Congress; celebration of the society's 125th, 150th, and 175th anniversaries; and information on the society's activities for the Bicentennial, including the 10,000 Trees program, the proposed Philaflora garden show, the "From Seed to Flower" exhibit and the "How Long is Always" film project. There are transcripts of a series of lectures in the 1920s and transcripts of radio programs from 1980. Philadelphia Green materials include: early proposals for the project; correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and budgets; and records on merging of the Neighborhood Garden Association Garden Block program with Philadelphia Green. Printed and publicity materials include a small number of copies of "Pennsylvania Gardens" and "Green Scene," and clippings and press releases for events. The collection includes some photographs, slides, contact sheets, and transparencies of the Flower Show (exhibitors and awards ceremonies), clinics and demonstrations, the library, staff and board members, member tours, Philadelphia Green activities, and various public and private gardens, including the George and Mary Clark home in Flourtown.
Personal and Corporate Names: Philadelphia Flower Show. / Philadelphia Green (Program) /
Subjects: Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. / Horticulture--Societies, etc. / Urban renewal--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Genres: Architectural drawings. / Artifacts. / Awards. / Bylaws. / Cabinet photographs. / Correspondence. / Minutes. / Photographs. / Photographs. / Reports. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society scrapbooks.
Dates: 1884-1985
Extent: 3.83 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers lectures and workshops, publishes the magazine Green Scene, and hosts the yearly Philadelphia Flower Show. First held in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show has grown to be the world's largest indoor flower exhibition. Proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program, Philadelphia Green, which supports the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is also home to the McLean Library, a collection of over 15,000 books on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of scrapbooks on the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and its activities, including the Philadelphia Flower Show. The books primarily consist of newspaper clippings, materials printed by the society, such as programs, tickets, and announcements, and Flower Show entry forms. Some of the books also include printed material and publicity for other horticultural organizations, including the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the Horticultural Society of New York, and the Cleveland Flower Show. There are scrapbooks covering the society and the Flower Show from 1884 to 1898, 1928 to 1933 and 1950 to 1968. There are also scrapbooks on particular topics, including the 1927 Centennial Anniversary of the society, obituaries of nurserymen and seedsmen primarily from the 1920s, Philadelphia Green from 1978 to 1985, and the Junior Flower Show from 1975 to 1983. Several of the later scrapbooks contain a small number of photographs.
Personal and Corporate Names: Philadelphia Flower Show. / Philadelphia Green (Program) /
Subjects: Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. / Horticulture--Societies, etc. / Urban renewal--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Genres: Photographs. / Scrapbooks. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Title: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society slide collection.
Dates: 1958-1997
Extent: 68.5 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is America’s first horticultural society and was formed in 1827 as a not-for-profit membership organization. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers lectures and workshops, publishes the magazine Green Scene, and hosts the yearly Philadelphia Flower Show. First held in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show has grown to be the world's largest indoor flower exhibition. Proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program, Philadelphia Green, which supports the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia. In 1975, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society launched the City Gardens Contest, in which Philadelphia residents compete in several gardening categories. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is also home to the McLean Library, a collection of over 15,000 books on gardening and plant care, botany, and urban greening.
Scope and Content Note: This collection of slides (and some photographs) falls into four main groupings: the Philadelphia Flower Show and other shows produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening programs and city gardening projects and contests; Pennsylvania Horticultural Society educational slide shows and garden tour slides; and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society meetings, staff, and publicity material. Many of the slides were donated to the archives by the PHS public relations department. Slides documenting the Philadelphia Flower Show, from the early 1940s to the late 1990s, comprise roughly 24 linear feet. The images include displays of major exhibitors, individual entries of plants and floral arrangements, show attendees and staff, awards, and show construction. Some sections of the Flower Show slides are arranged by topic, and are more loosely arranged by year. These materials include a photo and slide album of the construction and set-up of the show, and transparencies of individual arrangements and blooms from the 1983 and 1989 shows. Other Pennsylvania Horticultural Society shows documented in the collection are the Junior Flower Show (1981 to 1995), the Harvest Show (1982 to 1994), and the Chrysanthemum Show. Images of the society's urban greening programs and Philadelphia garden projects make up approximately 37 linear feet of the collection and include an album of slides of Philadelphia Green projects, gardens in Norris Square, at City Hall, and the Azalea Garden in Fairmount Park. The City Gardens contest images document contest entries from 1990 to 1997. The slides are arranged alphabetically by the name of the contestant, and then chronologically. There are also slides of gardens featured in "Portraits of Philadelphia Gardens" by Louise and James Bush-Brown. The collection includes several slide shows (about 1 linear feet of material), some with lecture notes. Topics include garden tours conducted by members of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in South Africa, the Pacific Northwest, and the Caribbean. The history of the Philadelphia Flower Show is documented in a slide show created by Ed Lindemann (the show's designer from 1984 to 2000). There is also a slide show on the art of botanical illustration created by Tina Henry. Finally, there are roughly two linear feet of slides and photographs documenting the society's institutional activities and staff, including images of annual meetings, the McLean Library, staff photographs, and a selection of slides documenting a variety of the society's programs, events, members, and staff assembled for publicity purposes.
Personal and Corporate Names: Philadelphia Flower Show. / Philadelphia Green (Program) /
Subjects: Botanical illustration. / Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. / Gardens--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region. / Horticulture--Societies, etc. / Urban renewal--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Genres: Photographs. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Philadelphia Flower Show photographs and slides.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Philadelphia Flower Show.
Title: Philadelphia Flower Show financial records.
Dates: 1926-1995
Extent: 1.33 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Philadelphia Flower Show, currently the world's largest indoor flower exhibition, was first held in 1829 in Masonic Hall on Chestnut Street. From 1927 until the mid 1960s, management of the Flower Show was under the auspices of Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc., a professional group of nurserymen and growers. In 1964, Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc., because of difficulties locating an exhibition space, decided to halt production of the show for two years. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, under the direction of Ernesta D. Ballard, feeling that yearly continuity of the show was necessary, hosted the show in the 23rd Street Armory. In 1968, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society became the Flower Show's official producer.
Scope and Content Note: This collection consists of the financial records of the Philadelphia Flower Show, primarily from the period between 1927 and 1964 when the show was run by Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc. Materials include: five ledgers of Philadelphia Flower Show expenditures, arranged by type of expense, for the 1927-1936 and 1953-1955 shows; two ledgers of Philadelphia Flower Show expenditures, chronologically arranged for the 1927-1934 shows (one of these volumes also includes information on prizes and space offered to vendors); one ledger of Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc., expenditures and income (1955-1983); one ledger of cash receipts and cash disbursements for Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc. (1965-1995); one ledger of Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc. investments (1939-1995) and auditor's reports to the board of directors of Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc. from 1931 to 1977.
Personal and Corporate Names: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. /
Subjects: Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Genres: Account books. / Business records. /
Themes: Business and commerce / History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Philadelphia Flower Show minute books.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Philadelphia Flower Show.
Title: Philadelphia Flower Show minute books.
Dates: 1927-2005 (bulk 1927-1996)
Extent: .42 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Philadelphia Flower Show, currently the world's largest indoor flower exhibition, was first held in 1829 in Masonic Hall on Chestnut Street. From 1927 until the mid 1960s, management of the Flower Show was under the auspices of Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc., a professional group of nurserymen and growers. In 1964, Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc., because of difficulties locating an exhibition space, decided to halt production of the show for two years. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, under the direction of Ernesta D. Ballard, feeling that yearly continuity of the show was necessary, hosted the show in the 23rd Street Armory. In 1968, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society became the Flower Show's official producer.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of minutes of the Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc., from its inception in 1927 to 1996, when it was reorganized with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society as its sole member. The collection includes the charter and by-laws of the organization, minutes of monthly, annual, and special meetings, and a small number of legal documents and correspondence. The minutes of monthly meetings between 1927 and the mid-1960s record the planning of the yearly Flower Show, and feature reports from the Hall Plan, Rose Exhibit, Private Growers, Jurors, and Budget and Advertising committees, among others. Minutes from the mid-1960s on discuss other activities of the group, primarily the plan to build a new Horticultural Hall in Fairmount Park.
Personal and Corporate Names: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. /
Subjects: Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Genres: Bylaws. / Minutes. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Philadelphia Flower Show financial records.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Philadelphia Flower Show.
Title: Philadelphia Flower Show photographs and slides.
Dates: 1927-2006
Extent: 28.5 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Philadelphia Flower Show is the world's largest indoor flower exhibition, encompassing 33 acres and drawing over 250,000 visitors annually. The Philadelphia Flower Show was first held in 1829 in Masonic Hall on Chestnut Street. From 1927 until the mid 1960s, management of the Flower Show was under the auspices of Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc., a professional group of nurserymen and growers. In 1964, Philadelphia Flower Show, Inc., because of difficulties locating an exhibition space, decided to halt production of the show for two years. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, under the direction of Ernesta D. Ballard, feeling that yearly continuity of the show was necessary, hosted the show in the 23rd Street Armory. In 1966 the show moved to the Civic Center, and in 1968, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society became the show's official producer. In 1996 the Flower Show moved to its current location in the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of photographs, slides, and negatives from the Philadelphia Flower Show, from 1927 to 2006. Photographs include general views of the exhibition and its attendees, displays of major exhibitors, first through third place winners for each judging of competitive classes, opening ceremonies, and awards presentations. Notable figures in the photographs include Frank Rizzo, Ernesta Ballard, and Grace Kelly. Also included are slides of the construction of the exhibition in 1977.
Personal and Corporate Names: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. /
Subjects: Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Genres: Photograph albums. / Photographs. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society slide collection.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Rittenhouse Square Flower Market (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Title: Rittenhouse Square Flower Market collection.
Dates: 1914-1987
Extent: 1 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: The Rittenhouse Square Flower Market is an annual flower market with food, concerts, and children's activities. It was organized by Mrs. George Gordon Meade Large in 1914 to raise funds for local charities. The Rittenhouse Square Flower Market is managed by a board of officers, and much of the work is done by volunteers from local garden clubs.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of materials related to the Rittenhouse Flower Market. Materials include: rough minutes of the board of officers (1914 to 1922); lists of charities that benefited from the proceeds of the market, compiled in 1942 and 1982, and including some summary information; black and white photographs of vendors and attendees; newspaper clippings; a booklet printed for the market's twentieth anniversary; and several histories of the market.
Subjects: Flower shows--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia. /
Places: Rittenhouse Square (Philadelphia, Pa.) /
Genres: Clippings. / Minutes. / Photograph albums. / Photographs. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture / Philanthropy /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: University of Delaware
Website: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Creator: Somers, G. Fred (George Fredrick), 1914-2000.
Title: G. Frederick Somers papers.
Dates: 1943-1985 (bulk 1973-1985)
Extent: 8 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: George Frederick Somers was the H. Fletcher Brown Professor of Biology at the University of Delaware, with co-appointments in Biology, Marine Studies, Nursing, Medical Technology, and Physical Therapy departments. He was also a Rhodes Scholar.
Scope and Content Note: The G. Frederick Somers papers consist of material related to his research on the development of salt-tolerant plants, dating from 1943-1985 with the bulk of the material from 1973-1985. The collection contains research notebooks, project summaries, grant proposals, slides, photographs, and maps.
Genres: Photographs. / Research notes. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Horticulture / Science--Biological sciences /
Preliminary finding aid available online at http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/somers.htm
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Wagner Free Institute of Science
Website: http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org/library.shtml
Creator: Unknown.
Title: Herbarium scrapbook.
Accession number: 92-011
Dates: 1857-1862
Extent: .16 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Scope and Content Note: This scrapbook is a non-scientific collection of dried plant material gathered on two European trips by a woman who is not known. The first trip, ca. May 29 to August 20, 1857, begins in England, then moves through France, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium. The second trip, ca. December through May 1861, moves through France, Italy and Switzerland. The collection sites for the plants are identified (for example, "Old Castle, Baden-Baden, July 20," or "From the platform, Berne, July 8"), but the plants themselves are not.
Subjects: Herbaria. /
Places: Europe--Description and travel. /
Genres: Scrapbooks. /
Themes: Horticulture / Travel and tourism /
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Academy of Natural Sciences
Website: http://www.ansp.org/library/index.php
Creator: Wherry, Edgar Theodore, 1885-
Title: Edgar Theodore Wherry papers.
Dates: 1834-1987
Extent: 5.25 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: Edgar T. Wherry (1885-1982) was a geologist, crystallographer, and botanist. As a young man, he attended lectures at the Wagner Free Institute of Science, where he would later also teach courses in mineralogy (his students there included Samuel George Gordon, the noted mineralogist). He received his Ph.D. in geology and mineralogy from the University of Pennsylvania in 1909. Wherry worked at the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the field of geology, before becoming interested in the wild plants of North America. He became the nation's leading expert on ferns, native phlox, and native wildflowers. In 1930, Wherry returned to Philadelphia, where he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Plant Ecology and Soils. He retired in 1955, but continued to teach courses in botany and ecology. He was the first editor of The American Mineralogist, and was editor of the Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society and of Bartonia, the journal of the Philadelphia Botanical Club. Over his career, he published more than 420 papers, books, and monographs on geological and horticultural topics.
Scope and Content Note: The collection of Edgar T. Wherry papers include: specimen catalogues and type catalogues; collecting, reference, and travel notebooks; correspondence with colleagues and letters of appointment; reprints and articles by Wherry and others; a manuscript of Checklist of the Flora of Chester Co. (PA), by Wherry, Fogg, and Wahl (1979); photographs and negatives of specimens, photographs and negatives of Wherry and his colleagues; newspaper clippings; certificates and awards; and maps.
Subjects: Botanists. / Botany--Pennsylvania. / Plants--Pictorial works. /
Genres: Clippings. / Correspondence. / Negatives (Photographic) / Notebooks. / Photographs. / Reprints. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Horticulture / Science--Biological sciences /
Related collections: Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia: Wherry correspondence and writings (collection 742).
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Wister, John Caspar, 1887-1982.
Title: John Wister slide collection.
Dates: 1930-1940
Extent: 7.29 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: John C. Wister (1887-1982) was a landscape architect. He graduated from Harvard University and studied at the Harvard School of Landscape Architecture and the New Jersey Agricultural College. He served in Europe during World War I, and in his spare time visited gardens and leading horticulturists. He was one of the founders and the first president of the American Iris Society, and served as secretary of the American Rose Society for many years. He belonged to many other horticultural, scientific, and conservation organizations. He was the first director of the Arthur Hoyt Horticultural Foundation, and designed and created the 240-acre public garden at Swarthmore College. He was the author of four books: The Iris, Lilac Culture, Bulbs for American Gardens, and Four Seasons in Your Garden.
Scope and Content Note: The John Wister slide collection comprises two series of color lantern slides: The Gardeners, photographs of suburban Philadelphia gardens, identified by name of property owners; and a general collection that includes views of gardens, sights, and specific plants from Europe and the U.S. There are 35mm slide reproductions of many of the lantern slides in the collection.
Subjects: Gardens--Europe. / Gardens--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region. /
Genres: Lantern slides. / Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Philadelphia gardens collection, Anne Wertsner Wood slide collection, and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society glass plate slides and negatives collection.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Wood, Anne Wertsner, 1907-
Title: Anne Wertsner Wood slide collection.
Dates: 1940-1976
Extent: 2.5 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: Anne Wertsner Wood (1907-2004) was a horticulturist, writer and lecturer. She was a graduate of Ambler College (now Temple University Ambler). For six years, in the 1930s, Mrs. Wood headed the floriculture department at the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women. In 1949 she married Harry Wood, a widower with two children who was horticulturist and grounds superintendent at Swarthmore College. The couple gardened at their home in Swarthmore. For 16 years Mrs. Wood was field secretary at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, advising neighborhood gardeners. From 1958 to 1988 she conducted garden tours all over the world and lectured on gardening and flower arranging. She was the author of The Flower Show Guide and Make Your Own Merry Christmas.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of slides gathered by Anne Wertsner Wood of gardens, nurseries, flowers, plants, and people in Europe and the United States from 1940 to 1976. The collection also includes slides of Christmas decorations, Philadelphia gardens and prominent Philadelphians, and people associated with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Most of the slides are in cardboard mounts, but there are also a few glass mounts.
Subjects: Gardens--Europe. / Gardens--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia Region. / Gardens--United States. /
Genres: Slides (Photographs) /
Themes: Horticulture /
Related collections: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: John Wister slide collection and Philadelphia gardens slide collection.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
Institution: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Website: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/garden/libraryhome.html
Creator: Wright, Letitia E.
Title: Letitia E. Wright research materials for "Colonial garden at Stenton described in old letters".
Dates: 1911-1921
Extent: .6 linear feet
Language: Materials in English.
Biographical or Historical Note: Mrs. William Redwood Wright was born Letitia Ellicott Carpenter on April 7, 1861. She was the daughter of George Washington Carpenter and Mary Rodman Fisher, and was a direct descendent of James Logan, who left England in the late seventeenth century to settle in the colonies as William Penn’s Chief Secretary and Counselor. She was an expert on wildflowers, and was involved in several horticultural and conservation organizations, including the First Garden Club of Philadelphia, of which she was a charter member. She is noted for her careful study and restoration of the Stenton Garden, originally planted by James Logan. Her monograph, "Colonial Garden at Stenton described in Old Letters," was published by the Site and Relic Society of Germantown in 1915.
Scope and Content Note: This is a collection of typescript research notes, transcripts of letters, and drafts of Letitia E. Wright's article on James Logan and the gardens at Stenton. Included are transcripts of letters between John and Anna Blackburne and James Logan, and between John Forthergill and William Logan, and transcripts of plant and seed lists. There are various drafts and fragments of drafts of Wright's article, "Colonial Garden at Stenton described in Old Letters." The collection also includes a mounted photo-reproduction of a letter from Anna Blackburne, notebooks kept by Wright during her research for this article, a typescript list of botanical books in the Logan Library, lists of plants at other gardens, manuscript and typescript descriptions of plants, and a manuscript transcription of A Catalogue of the Plants in the Garden of John Blackburne, Esq.
Subjects: Gardens--History--18th century. / Gardens--United States--History. /
Themes: History of Philadelphia cultural institutions / Horticulture /
Related collections: Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Logan family papers.
The collection is open for research. Please contact the holding institution for details.
The survey projects that produced these collection records were funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.