Archives and Manuscript Collections
Records of the Herbarium ( RG 4)
JOHN KUNKEL SMALL RECORDS (1892-1938)
18.3 linear feet; (28 boxes)
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
John
Kunkel Small (1869-1938) was a taxonomist and botanical explorer, specializing
in the southeastern United States, especially Florida. He was the first
Curator of Museums at The New York Botanic Garden , a post in which he
served from 1898 until 1906. In 1906, as the Garden's staff expanded, Small
was named Head Curator. He held this position until 1934. As such, he played
an active part in building the institution and establishing the herbarium
collections and the protocols for their exhibition. He personally collected
over 60,000 herbarium specimens of flowering plants, ferns, mosses, hepatics,
and fungi for the Garden's collections. In 1934 he was named Chief Research
Associate and Curator.
Small was born on January 31, 1869 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He attended
Franklin & Marshall College, graduating with a degree in botany in
1892. His first explorations of the southeastern flora - the mountains of
western North Carolina - occurred during those years. His account was accepted
by the Torrey Botanical Club and published in the Memoirs . This
brought him to the attention of N. L. Britton, who offered him a fellowship
to pursue graduate studies at Columbia. His dissertation Monograph of
the North American Species of Polygonum, 1895, was the first volume
of the Memoirs of the Department of Botany of Columbia College. After graduation,
he stayed on as Curator of the Herbarium at Columbia , establishing it
as the first herbarium arranged according to the Engler and Prantl sequence.
When Columbia's herbarium was transferred to The New York Botanical Garden
in 1898, Small followed it as Curator.
Small was the first botanist to explore Florida since A. W. Chapman
and many of the areas he documented had never been examined. His doctoral
dissertation, published as Flora of the Southeastern United States
in 1903, and revised 1913 and 1933, remains the best floristic reference
for much of the south. His first trip to Florida was in 1901 when Miami
had some 2,000 residents. The Florida hammock in which he was particularly
interested had disappeared to such an extent by 1929 that he published
From
Eden to Sahara: Florida's Tragedy, sparking a movement for conservation
of the wetlands that eventually resulted in the formation of The Everglades
National Park.
Small followed the taxonomic philosophy of Britton. He contributed descriptions
of several families for the first edition of Britton and Brown's An
Illustrated Flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British
possessions... 1896-1898. Today, some scientists consider
his species classifications too narrow, yet other of his observations have
been reconfirmed. Index Kewensis cites Small as the author
of 2,057 genera, species, and binomials.
Dr. Small discovered the Louisiana wild Iris after glimpsing a bed growing
in a swamp as the train he was on passed by. He returned using a hand-car,
the railroad had put at his disposal. He harvested the irises and with
E. J. Alexander classified nearly ninety distinct species, documented in
Addisonia.
Small distributed 6,500 packets of seeds and several thousand plants throughout
the world. Because the swamps in which they were growing were being drained,
Dr. Small is credited with saving the Louisiana wild Iris from extinction.
Dr. Small lived at a time before foundation or governmental research
support. His excursions to Florida were under the patronage of Charles
Deering and later, Arthur C. James. These were lively events, conducted
by boat and car. Dr. Small often brought along his wife, Elizabeth, and
four children. On at least one occasion (1918) the Garden sent along the
artist Mary Eaton, who produced twenty-eight watercolors of rare flowering
plants.
Because he would have been compelled to pay for publication from his
own pocket, only a small portion of Small's work was ever published. Much
of his material remains in the form of bound typescripts. Of the work that
has been published, there have been reprints as recently as 1987. His bibliography
consists of 450 items, mostly articles. In his later years, Small concentrated
on ferns, cacti and palms. Between 1927 and 1931, he worked with Thomas
A. Edison on his search for rubber-producing plants. This included fieldwork
in Florida and hybridization in the laboratories of The New York Botanical
Garden.
John Kunkel Small died at his home on e. 207th Street in Manhattan on
January 20, 1938.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The John Kunkel Small collection documents Small's tenure as the first
Curator of Museums at The New York Botanical Garden; his published and
unpublished floristic studies of the south central, southeastern, and northeastern
United States, and Florida, New York, and Texas; and his studies of cacti,
ferns, palms, and vines. Color plates and an original watercolor illustrating
his discovery and publication of ninety species of wild Irises in Louisiana
are also found in the collection. In addition, manuscripts, original pen
and ink drawings, photographs, negatives, page proofs, pencil drawings
of specimens, post cards and maps are contained in the collection, which
is arranged into nineteen series.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1 : Correspondence
Series 2 : Biographical Materials
Series 3 : The New York Botanical Garden
Series 4 : Cacti
Series 5 : Ferns
Series 6 : Irises
Series 7 : Palms
Series 8 : Vines of North America
Series 9 : Manual of the South Central Flora
Series 10 : Flora of Texas
Series 11 : Southeastern U. S. Flora
Series 12 : Florida
Series 13 : New York City
Series 14 : Flora of the Northeast
Series 15 : Flora of the West Indies
Series 16 : Unidentified Lists and Notes
Series 17 : Photographs
Series 18 : Art and Illustrations
Series 19 : Negatives
Series 1 Correspondence,
1896-1938
5 lin. in. Arranged alphabetically.
Professional correspondence concerning acquisitions, loans, and determinations
of materials during Small's tenure as Curator of Museums. A narrative by
Small of his discovery of the wild Irises is attached to a letter to a
Mr. DeForest. Copies, obtained from the Florida State Archives, of his
correspondence (1927-1928) with Thomas Edison regarding their work together
on sources of rubber are in this series. Other correspondence with staff
of the Edison Botanical Research Co. is found throughout this series alphabetically
by name of the correspondent. There is one folder of personal correspondence.
Other correspondence is located in Series 6: Irises and Series 7: Palms.
Series 2 Biographical
Materials, 1912-1936
2.5 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
Small's c.v., bibliography and a list of taxa discovered by him are
found in this series. Also here are a group of prints of international
scenes and maps primarily published by National Geographic magazine
(1912-1916).
Series 3 The New York
Botanical Garden, 1899-1934
1.1 lin. ft. Arranged by subject.
Lists of accessions, exhibits, and collection data from the Museum and
Herbarium are found in this series. Manuscripts of Small's published studies
of the ferns, herbs, shrubs, and trees that are native to the land occupied
by the Garden are located here. Additional material on this subject might
be found in Series 16: Unidentified Lists and Notes. A chart comparing
twenty-two leaves of trees common to the Northeast is located in Series
18: Art and Illustrations.
Series 4 Cacti,
n.d.
1 lin in. Arranged by subject.
Page proofs and title pages for 2 unpublished works on cactacea are
in this series. A systematic list and key to the Opuntiacea are also included.
Additional material on this subject might be in Series 16: Unidentified
Lists and Notes. A photoengraved printing block illustrating a man (possibly
Small) and a cactus is located in Series 18: Art and Illustrations.
Series 5 Ferns,
ca. 1918-1938
1.25 lin. ft. Arranged by subject.
Manuscripts, page proofs, notes, and drafts of Small's articles and
book-length treatments of ferns in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, New
York City, and the northeastern, southeastern and south central United
States are in this series. Additional material on this subject might be
found in Series 16: Unidentified Lists and Notes. Photographs from these
works are in Series 17: Photographs. Original drawings are in Series 18:
Art and Illustrations.
Series 6 Irises,
1925-1931
7 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
Manuscripts related to Small's presentation of the wild Irises he discovered
in Louisiana and brought into cultivation are found here. Also in this
series are the illustrations of those species presented most frequently
in Addisonia. These are arranged by species and include the color
plate and the photograph from which it was derived. One original watercolor
by Mary Eaton is in this series. Photographs can be found in Series 17:
Photographs. Negatives are in Series 19: Negatives. Additional material
on this subject might be in Series 16: Unidentified Lists and Notes.
Series 7 Palms,
1892-1921
4.5 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
This series includes notes, correspondence, manuscripts, page proofs,
postcards, and photographs of palm trees of Florida and the United States
that were studied by Small. Some photographs are in Series 17: Photographs.
Additional material on this subject might be in Series 16: Unidentified
Lists and Notes.
Series 8 Vines
of North America, n.d.
5.5 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
This series consists of notes, a typescript, and a carbon copy of an
unpublished work on vines of North America. Additional material on
this subject might be in Series 16: Unidentified Lists and Notes.
Series 9 Manual
of the South Central Flora, ca. 1935
4.25 lin. ft. Arranged by subject.
Plant lists by states, drafts, treatments of genera, and 2 bound typescript
volumes of this unpublished work (above), can be found in this series.
Additional material on this subject might be in Series 16: Unidentified
Lists and Notes. Original illustrations are found in Series 18: Art and
Illustrations.
Series 10 Flora
of Texas, n.d.
8.5 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
Notes, drafts, and the typescript of an unpublished work make up this
series. Additional material on this subject might be in Series 16: Unidentified
Lists and Notes.
Series 11 Southeastern
U. S. Flora, ca. 1903-1933
1.4 lin. ft. Arranged by subject.
This series includes notes, plant lists, drafts, typescripts, corrections,
page and galley proofs, and an index of illustrations for 2 published editions
of Flora of the Southeastern U. S. and the Manual of the Flora
of the Southeastern U. S. , published in 1933. Material on ferns is
found in Series 5: Ferns. Additional material on this subject might be
in Series 16: Unidentified Lists and Notes. Original illustrations and
an index to illustrations can be found in Series 18: Art and Illustrations.
Series 12 Florida,
1913-1926
1.1 lin. ft. Arranged by subject.
Lists, notes, unpublished typescripts, maps, and 2 bound volumes comprising
Small's studies of Florida flora are found in this series. Included are
lists of additions to published works on Miami and the Keys, studies of
particular genera, maps, and manuscripts of journal contributions. Small's
work on the Everglades, including an unpublished but bound flora, a systematic
list of plants, and manuscripts urging the formation of Everglades National
Park are included here. Illustrations for this material are found in Series
18: Art and Illustrations. Material on ferns is located in Series 5: Ferns.
Material on palms is found in Series 7: Palms. Additional material on this
subject might be in Series 16: Unidentified Lists and Notes.
Series 13 New
York City, n.d.
1 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
Series 13 comprises 2 folders of lists of herbs, shrubs, and trees and
1 list of plant distributions in the New York City area.
Series 14 Flora
of the Northeast, 1892-n.d.
9.5 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
Typescripts, genera treatments, and maps related to an unpublished work
are included here. Also here are some of Small's earliest works on the
flora of Pennsylvania and Lancaster County. Among the maps in this series
is one tracing the location of lygodium in Connecticut. Additional material
on this subject might be in Series 16: Unidentified Lists and Notes. Original
illustrations are found in Series 18: Art and Illustrations.
Series 15 Flora
of the West Indies, n.d.
10 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
This series consists of typewritten sheets with the genus name at the
top and distributions at the bottom, notes, and a treatment of Cuban Convolvulaceae.
Series 16 Unidentified
Lists and Notes, n. d.
0.5 lin. ft. Arranged by subject.
Checklists of plants, descriptions of taxa from subkingdom to genus,
and miscellaneous notes that cannot be classified are all found in this
series.
Series 17 Photographs,
n.d.
0.5 lin. ft. Arranged by subject.
This series contains black and white photographs of ferns that have
been removed from manuscript series. Some photographs of irises and palms
also are here. The series also includes photoreproductions of journal and
encyclopedia articles, photographs of specimens, and a series of microphotographs
of a variety of woods. There are some photographs of unidentified people
and also some unidentified landscapes. Other photographs are housed with
related manuscript material.
Series 18 Art
and Illustrations, n.d.
7.05 lin. ft. Arranged by subject.
Art and Illustrations contains original illustrative materials, primarily
pen and ink drawings for Small's South Central Flora and Ferns
of the Southeastern States. Other materials in this series are pencil
drawings of specimens--organized by family, a thumbnail sketch index to
the Manual of Southeastern Flora and a drawing of Nemasstyiis by
C. Dorman.
Series 19 Negatives,
n.d.
11 lin. in. Arranged by subject.
This series contains negatives of a portrait of J. K. Small and
photographs of ferns, unidentified people, specimens and locations. Also
in this series are three Kodak negative albums. Each one is indexed. Notes
and positives contained in these albums have been left in place.
RELATED COLLECTIONS
The New York Botanical Garden
RG4 The Harold William Rickett Records [ca. 1920-1973]
RG4 The John Hendley Barnhardt Records, 1895-1948
PP The Thomas Edison Papers, 1880-1964
CFN Numbers 1-3, 109-110, 169-170, 230,
289-290
Florida State Archives
John Kunkel Small Collection
Processed June 1999 by Laura Zelasnic under a grant from
the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) PA-23141-98 and a grant
from the Harriet Ford Dickenson Foundation.
For more information and a complete description contact:
Susan Fraser, NYBG
Archivist
The LuEsther T. Mertz Library
The New York Botanical Garden
Bronx, NY 10458-5126
(718) 817-8879
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