Past, present, and future of field observations
Camera lucida
George Dollond, the original manufacturer of Sir William Hyde Wollaston’s camera lucida, from Description of the camera lucida, 1830. When an artist looks down through the prism, they see the world in front of them, plus their hand on the page, combined in perfect superimposition. (Source: neolucida.com/history.)
Field documentation is an important skill set for scientists across various disciplines. There is no substitute for careful observation and documentation during field trips. Even in today’s world of digital note taking and cell phone photography, there is a need for simple hand drawn notes that capture details and ideas that slip the lens.
Field notes offer historical insights for researchers and help capture long-term observations, helping scientists recognize patterns beyond those found in quantitative data. From early woodcuts used in herbals to more detailed botanical illustrations, field observations have supported the accurate replication of identifying characteristics of various plant groups. Copper engravings and etching followed by printing were the earliest ways that illustrations could be copied for mass production.
Cystoseira granulata
John Herschel, “Cystoseira granulata.” Cyanotype, 1843 (Source: The New York Public LibraryDigital Collections.)
Maria developed a specific numbering system in the 1660s to connect her research notes to her paintings and vellum sketches. The incomplete dates in several instances indicate the interruptions she experienced while working on natural history observations, due to limited access to specimens at the necessary stages. Maria is also known to have combined observations of similar species. It is always a challenge to know how detailed field notes need to be, so it is important to dig into the literature of a discipline to learn the norms.
The invention of the camera lucida in the 18th century allowed illustrators to become more accurate without losing speed. The camera led to a slump in the popularity of watercolor and copper engraved illustrations; however, there was a resurgence of botanical and natural illustrations beginning in the 1950s. The American Society for Botanical Artists (ASBA) and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) are two contemporary organizations that offer classes and mentorship for budding natural history illustrators.
Silkworm Life Cycle Study
Silkworm life cycle in the first entry of Merian’s study journal. Several details shown in the final plate (Raupen, 1679) are absent from this study. (Source: Kay Etheridge, The Flowering of Ecology - Maria Sibylla Merian’s Caterpillar Book. Koninklijke Brill, 2021.)
Physalis woodcut
Woodcut and explanatory verse: entry on Physalis, an edible wild plant, from Ru cao bian, (On the Consumption of Herbs), published 1582. Ru cao bian is a non-medical text, recording 102 species of edible herbs. For each plant entry, there is an illustration accompanied by a verse, with notes on its use as a food. (Source: wellcomecollection.org/works/yav6c2nj.)
Botanical engraving of a branch of the Peruvian bark tree
Botanical engraving of a branch of the Peruvian bark tree, attributed to John Hawkins, dated 1739. Handwritten annotations underneath illustrations, and the imprint “Published according to Act of Parliament 1741." (Source: wellcomecollection.org/works/mw495wap.)