Bouquet of flowers, watercolor on vellum by Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840). This bouquet was painted by Pierre-Joseph Redouté in his final year and was acquired by Rachel Hunt in the last year of her life, capping a history of collecting Redouté items one at a time over decades, including portraits and handwritten letters. © Hunt Institute
Dedicated in 1961, the Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt Botanical Library was envisioned as a research center focusing on the history of botany and the history of botanical publication and as a repository where her collections would be preserved, curated, augmented and made accessible to researchers. By 1971 the organization had so diversified that it was renamed Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation with four programmatic departments of Archives, Art, Bibliography and the Library. In the last fifty years Rachel Hunt’s original collection has been substantially augmented in all four departments. In accordance with the Hunts’ original vision of a living collection with public availability, the Institute maintains a regular exhibition and publication program and accessibility for research on a variety of scientific and cultural subjects related to the plant sciences.
Beginning with Rachel Hunt’s early interest in books, bookbinding and collecting, the materials on display in this exhibition are divided by subject and reflect her interests in the history of the herbal, the development of gardens and garden plants, the foundation of botany as a science and the botanical discoveries made through travel and exploration. The exhibition concludes with the foundation of the Hunt Botanical Library, its evolution to Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and descriptions of key aspects of the four departments. A color-illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
Inset, Rachel Hunt standing at her garden gate at Elmhurt. Rachel Hunt purchased this early gardening manual at the first book sale that she attended. © Hunt Institute
Botany and History Entwined
Rachel Hunt’s Legacy
September 16 – December 15, 2011
Hunt Library,Carnegie Mellon University (5th floor)
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m.; Sunday, 1–4 p.m. (except 20 and 24–27 November).
Admission: Free
(Note: Hours of operation are occasionally subject to change, please call or email before your visit to confirm their hours. For further information, contact the Hunt Institute at 412-268-2434.)
ArtPlantae Today 