Vintage botanical wall chart from Randolph featured in international publication

One of the botanical wall charts from the College’s collection

A botanical wall chart from Randolph College’s Natural History and Archaeology Collection is featured in a recently published catalog of such wall charts from around the world.

The book by Anna Laurent, The Botanical Wall Chart: Art from the Golden Age of Discovery, is an overview of botanical teaching charts from the 19th and 20th centuries. It has not yet been distributed in the United States, but is available online at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Botanical-Wall-Chart-scientific-discovery/dp/1781573328.

Randolph’s Natural History Collection includes more than 50 illustrated botanical and zoological charts, dating from the late 19th century through the 1950s. Many are from Jung-Koch-Quentell, a German company renowned for early scientific illustrations and models. The charts are backed with linen and originally hung from wooden dowels.

Many students have contributed to the preservation of this collection over the years and helped submit images for Laurent’s book.

Find out more about the Randolph College Natural History and Archaeology Collection’s botanical wall charts at http://naturalhistory.go.randolphcollege.edu/the-collection/wall-charts-and-teaching-aids/wall-charts/.