Botany was surprisingly popular among young women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, possibly because it was considered a “suitable informal pursuit” for a young lady . However, the same did not always apply to a woman who wished to pursue botany in a professional capacity; to become recognized in the field of botany, as a woman, was extremely difficult in the majority of cases. Despite the odds, some women were successful in becoming known as a botanist.
Plant Study and Education by Women in the Eighteenth Century
In the eighteenth century, to have an “education” in the study of plants was considered to be of great advantage to a young woman; to understand plants and to be able to identify different species of plants made a woman a better conversationalist, a valuable skill in the eighteenth century society of North America and Europe.
Women were used to using plants as medicinal home remedies but to understand the science of plants was traditionally a male occupation. However, a woman who was educated in botany was better able to educate her own children and assist her husband in plant study. Many women went “unnoticed” in the field of botany, although many were extremely active in assisting male botanists in scientific studies.
Botany as a Profession for Women in the Nineteenth Century
The study of botany grew as a science in the mid-nineteenth century, which is when women increasingly began to be excluded from the male dominated profession, even in the capacity as “unofficial” botany assistant. However, although women were frequently excluded from the professional world of botany, they remained active informally and continued to read, study, collect, draw and examine plants in a scientific way. Many books were written specifically to target women and introduce them to the botany of plants.
Study of Botany by Women in Nineteenth Century America
Emanuel D. Rudolph discusses the study of botany by women in nineteenth century America in a paper entitled Women in Nineteenth Century American Botany: A Generally Unrecognized Constituency. Emmanuel D. Rudolph states that 13 per cent of American botanists listed in the first published directory of American botanists in 1873 were women, and this number rose to 16 per cent in 1878. He adds that women contributed a great proportion to the study of botany in nineteenth century America but were seldom given credit for their work.
Women Botanists from the Eighteenth to Twentieth Centuries
Some women, however, did become recognized in the field of botany in the nineteenth century and beyond, both in North America and in Europe; a select few became known in the eighteenth century. Women botanists include:
- Agnes Arber (1879 – 1960) – a British historian of botany and plant morphologist
- Elizabeth Gertrude Britton (1858 – 1934) – an American botanist who founded the Wildflower Preservation Society of America and the Sullivant Moss Society
- Jane Colden (1724 – 1766) – an American botanist who is accredited with being the first female botanist working in America
- Carrie Derick (1862 – 1941) – a Canadian botanist
- Mary Gibson Henry (1884 – 1967) – an American botanist who had the Hymenocallis henryae named after her
- Frances Theodora Parsons (1861 – 1952) – an American botanist who wrote the first field guide to North American wildflowers in 1893.
Women in Botany Today
There are many, many women today who continue to carry out valuable and important work in the field of botany, including conservation and preservation of biodiversity and the environment for future generations. Many early twentieth century women involved in botany and/or conservation were also part of the women's suffrage movement, such as Marjory Stoneman Douglas; Marjory Stoneman Douglas was well known for her efforts in protecting the Florida Everglades from land development. However, the work of today's women botanists would not be possible, in many cases, without the unseen, yet invaluable, efforts of their predecessors.
References:
- Michigan State University Libraries web site, Women and Botany in 18th and Early 19th Century England, accessed March 23, 2010
- UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research web site, Botany John: The Legacy of a Canadian Botanist – Women in Botany virtual exhibit, accessed March 23, 2010
- JSTOR (Archives for Scholarship) web site, Women in Nineteenth Century American Botany: A Generally Unrecognized Constituency (Abstract), Emanuel D. Rudolph, Department of Botany, The Ohio State University, accessed March 23, 2010
Sharon Falsetto - Sharon Falsetto is a business owner, certified clinical aromatherapist & professional writer with a life-long interest in plants.
