RBGE acknowledges that our collections contain historic materials which may contain, either in their content or catalogue descriptions, terminology which is inappropriate, outdated, offensive or distressing. Such information does not reflect the current views and values of RBGE. We welcome feedback about the language in our catalogues. While we cannot change fixed attributes connected to items in the collection (e.g. published titles, names or contents) we will always consider requests for changes to be made to other aspects of the records in our catalogues. Please contact archives@rbge.org.uk
I Understand and Wish to Continue or Return to Home Page
Pressed Plant Greetings Card, presumably sent at New Year, 1937-1938. The pressed plant is a Maianthemum bifolium and was found in the Herbarium collection of Donald Patton alongside his Maianthemum bifolium specimen with the barcode E01360448 by digitiser Rebecca Camfield. The card was sent from 6 Glenan Gardens, Helensburgh and has the message 'Wishing you all much happiness in 1938'. Rebecca's research shows that the card is likely to have been created by Mrs Elizabeth Ewing and was sent by her to Donald Patton at the end of 1937 / start of 1938; an online search of the address on the card revealed a Watson Botanical Exchange Club member's list from 1926-1927 which provided a name of Mrs Ewing. Searching this name and the address Rebecca learnt that this was Mrs Elizabeth R. Ewing, married in 1901 to Peter Ewing. They had met as both part of the Glasgow and Andersonian Natural History and Microscopical Society, where she met several other prominent botanists. He became the President of said society in 1902, yet dies young in 1913. She became President herself between 1919 and 1920. Their herbarium went to Glasgow Herbarium after her death in 1951 at the age of 90. In 1951 Donald Patton was the President of the Society according to their journal 'The Glasgow Naturalist' which he also edited. They were in the same circles and were probably friends. So this is highly likely like to be a little card she sent to Donald Patton in 1938 which he placed with his own collection of the species. It could also be as that was the year she resigned as the delegate for the British Association for the society? Most of the above research was obtained from the Naturalist's obituary written by John R. Lee. (right click, open link in new tab) https://archive.org/stream/glasgowna141519401946ande/glasgowna141519401946ande_djvu.txt
•Scrapbook containing photographs and letters relating to the life and career of Ernest Frederick Gye, CGM, Foreign Office and diplomat, between 1903 and 1939. Photographs and letters.
Letter to [Gage] from Prain, (11th Dec 1909) •Manuscript letter to D. Saville from Prain to the Government Cinchona Plantation, Sureil, Kurseong (7th Apr. 1902)
The letter, dated 11/11/1947, is from Felix Eugen Frisch (1879-1954), who was Professor of Botany at Queen Mary College, University of London between 1924 and 1948. He is writing in response to a parcel sent to him by Miss Muriel J. Hay, Room 39, Dept. of Botany, RBGE, EH4. She was a student at RBGE and obtained a 2nd class, BSc Hons, Botany in July 1948. He criticises the way she packaged up the slide and tubes of material she wanted him to identify, as the slide was completely broken and one of the tubes was cracked, but he was able to identify one of the specimens as Coelosphaerium naegelianum, and asks her to send more as it would repay detailed study.