Article ID: CBB427183623

A Passion for Plants: Collections and Power Games in Botany in the Russian Empire from the 18th to the Early 19th Century (2018)

unapi

In this paper, private gardens are portrayed as spaces and implements of aristocratic passion for plant collecting, of competition within the gentry, as well as of scientific professionalisation for botanists. This paper traces the early history of botanical collections in the Russian Empire from the 18th to the early 19th century as part of an elite culture which encouraged amateur patrons to invest in expeditions, gardens, and, consequently, in professionals to manage such projects. Young graduates of European universities who began their careers working at private botanical institutions could later successfully apply for academic positions. The circulation of specimens had developed as a key element of botanical collection and an important basis for the networking of professionals and amateurs around the world. This paper argues that collecting plant specimens became an important means for engaging in “power games” and even “plant diplomacy.” These new responsibilities significantly increased botanists' status as experts. A diverse group of personalities, such as the Empress Catherine II, King George III of England, the industrialist Prokophy Demidov, aristocrat Alexei Razumovsky, Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, the academician Peter Simon Pallas—all shared a passion for botanical collecting and were engaged in power games at different levels, using botany as an instrument of influence.

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Article Marianne Klemun; Marina Loskutova; Anastasia Fedotova (2018) Skulls and Blossoms: Collecting and the Meaning of Scientific Objects as Resources from the 18th to the 20th Century. Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (pp. 231-237). unapi

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB427183623/

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Authors & Contributors
Christina Harrison
Natalia Víctorovna Platónova
McCracken, Patricia A.
Dowe, John Leslie
Brixius, Dorit
Baijnath, Himansu
Concepts
Botany
Collectors and collecting
Plants
Gardens
Science and society
Travel; exploration
Time Periods
18th century
19th century
17th century
20th century
Places
Russia
Great Britain
England
Tropics
Istanbul (Turkey)
Melbourne (Victoria, Australia)
Institutions
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences
Natural History Museum (London, England)
Great Britain. Royal Navy
British Museum. Natural History
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