Some examples of herbaria pressed at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary include ones by Frances L. McMaster, class of 1861, Orra E. Miller, class of 1861, and Mary E. Bond, class of 1883.
Herbarium of Frances L. McMaster, class of 1861, created in 1858-1860.
McMaster’s herbarium contains 78 pages of plant specimens collected as a student at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.
Pages from McMaster’s herbarium, 1858-1860
Herbarium of Orra E. Miller, class of 1861, created in 1859.
Miller’s herbarium consists of 56 mounted specimens, labeled with botanical and common names. This herbaria utilized a special technique of filling out the plant’s contours by stuffing it with cotton.
Pages from Miller’s herbaria, 1859
Herbarium of Mary E. Bond, class of 1883, created in September 1882.
Bond’s herbarium was prepared at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, possibly for botany coursework. It contains 78 specimens that are pressed, mounted, and labeled. The herbarium was a gift of Ruth Oram Hills, class of 1938, the granddaughter of Bond.
Pages from Bond’s herbaria, 1882
Beyond their scientific uses, herbaria can take global or aesthetic forms, such as the herbaria of Elizabeth A. Smith, x-class of 1849, and Sabra C. Snell, class of 1866.
Herbaria of Elizabeth A. Smith, x-class of 1849, created around 1848-1880.
Smith’s herbaria is a mighty 190 page collection of ferns, which she gathered during her years as a missionary in India.
Pages from Smith’s herbarium, 1848-1880
Herbaria of Sabra C. Snell, class of 1866, undated.
Snell’s herbaria consists of watercolors of botanical specimens prepared for a class in botany, instead of the usual herbarium of pressed plants.
Pages from Snell’s herbarium, undated