Beauty in a Briefcase: Images from Horticultural Sample Books

Beauty in a Briefcase, an exhibit running from April 12 to October 13, 2013, features scanned illustrations and plate-books from 19th century American commerical nurseries.

In the mid-1800s, these firms hired salesmen to travel extensively, taking orders for trees and shrubs to be delivered the following spring. Their marketing tool of choice was the innovative nurseryman's "sample book" or plate-book. A few of these plate-books survive to present day. Sumptuously illustrated, they are as beautiful today as when first used. Andersen Horticultural Library has more than twenty plate-books in its collection, from which the material for this exhibit was drawn.

The exhibit is located at 9 stations, starting in the Oswald Visitor Center, continuing through the Restaurant Gallery (only until May 31) and connecting walkway ramp, the hallway leading to the Library in the Snyder Building, the Library reception, and throughout the interior of Andersen Horticultural Library. Select images found in the Restaurant Gallery will be for sale in the Gift Store.

Lucienne Taylor, creator/curator of the Beauty in a Briefcase exhibit, will give a talk about the exhibit and salesmen's plate-books—their development, history, usage and beauty. A number of plate-books from Andersen Horticultural Library's collection will be shown. The session, Inside the Collection: Beauty in a Briefcase, will be held on Saturday, April 13, 1-3 p.m. in the Snyder Building. Click for registration.

U Media Archive Exhibit: Three Minneapolis Seedswomen 

Miss Carrie Lippincott cover, 1896

At the beginning of the 20th century, Minneapolis was home to three seed companies owned and operated by women. These firms were unusual in their time because they were run by women, they marketed to women customers, and they focused on flower seeds. Miss Carrie Lippincott, who called herself "The Pioneer Seedswoman of America," started producing small 5 x 7 inch lithographed catalogs in 1891. Emma V. White, the "Northstar Seedswoman," produced her first catalog in 1896. Jessie R. Prior, who was in business only a short period of time, produced small catalogs simply titled "Flower Seeds."

Emma V. White cover, 1900

The Andersen Horticultural Library hosts a collection of catalogs from these three firms. Our copies of the three seedswomen's catalogs have been digitized cover-to-cover and are available online at the UMedia Archive, http://umedia.lib.umn.edu/taxonomy/term/760. All text in these catalogs is searchable. For example, type "marigold" in the search box to find links to 170+ pages within the UMedia Archives. Parameters can be chosen in the right hand column to limit your search to items from the Andersen Horticultural Library. A zoom tool allows one to view fine details.

U Media Archive Exhibit: Botanical Images from the Collections of the University Libraries

Digitized botanical images from rare and special books in the Andersen Horticultural Library and other University Libraries can viewed online at http://umedia.lib.umn.edu/node/69341. Many of these images were part of the Transfer of Knowledge botanical art exhibit on display in 2005 at the Reedy Gallery, located at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.