Peter Collinson and the eighteenth-century natural history exchange
By: Jean O'Neill, Elizabeth McLean.
Contributors: McLean, Elizabeth P., 1930-; American Philosophical Society.
Series: Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia for promoting useful knowledge -- v. 264; Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society -- v. 264.
Publisher: American Philosophical Society
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Philadelphia
Language: eng
Number of pages: 216
ISBN-13: 9780871692641
Subjects: Collinson, Peter, -- 1694-1768; Horticulturists -- England -- Biography
Genres: Biography.
Description: "Peter Collinson’s life is a microcosm of eighteenth-century natural history. A London Quaker, a draper by trade, and a passionate gardener and naturalist by avocation, Collinson was a facilitator in natural science, disseminating botanical and horticultural knowledge during the Enlightenment. He influenced men such as Comte de Buffon and Linnaeus. He found clients for Philadelphia Quaker farmer and naturalist John Bartram, at a time when the English landscape was evolving to emphasize trees and shrubs. Thus, American plants populated great estates like those of the Dukes of Richmond, Norfolk, and Bedford, as well as the Chelsea Physic Garden, and nurseries of James Gordon and Robert Furber. Botanic painters such as Mark Catesby and Georg Dionysius Ehret painted American plants in Collinson’s garden. His membership in the Royal Society enabled him to broaden his scope: he encouraged Franklin’s electrical experiments and had the results published, he corresponded about myriad natural phenomena, and he was ahead of his time in understanding the extinction of animals and the migration of birds. Though a man of modest Quaker demeanor, because of his passion for natural science, he had an unprecedented effect on the exchange of scientific information on both sides of the Atlantic. In this monograph, the authors give a convincing biographical portrait of Collinson. He 'speaks' to the reader throughout the book in a distinct voice. "--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: "In the great hive of London, like an industrious bee": a Quaker business background; title: "There is no end of the wonders in nature": learned societies, publications, and inklings of the enlightenment; title: "Our gardens will have more curious plants in them than ever": British-based botanists and horticulturists; title: "In hopes to improve, or at least adorn my country": eighteenth-century landscape; title: "My inclination does not flagg...I endeavour to...procure more": Colonial friends and correspondents; title: "Harvest and seed time": Peter Collinson and John Bartram; title: "Rare, curious & learned works": European friends and naturalists; title: "The glory of my garden & the trofies of friendship": Collinson's gardens at Peckham and Mill Hill.