Botanical and Cultural Images of Eastern Asia, 1907-1927
Explorers
Ernest Henry Wilson (1876-1930)
Wilson’s career as an explorer began in 1899 when he traveled to China seeking the dove tree, Davidia involucrata, for the Veitch Nursery in England. A visit to the Arnold Arboretum on his way to China initiated a lifelong collaboration with Charles Sargent. As Wilson was preparing for his first Arboretum journey, Sargent insisted that he take along a large-format, Sanderson whole-plate field camera capable of recording both great detail and broad perspectives without distortion. The rest of his camera gear included a cumbersome wooden tripod and many crates of large, heavy, fragile glass-plate negatives.
Between 1907 and 1922, Wilson used the Sanderson camera to take 2,488 images of eastern Asia for the Arnold Arboretum. More about Wilson.
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Wilson Centennial
Celebrate the centennial of Wilson’s first Arboretum-sponsored expedition: Read about Wilson plant introductions in the latest Silva |