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John Kunkel Small (1869-1938)

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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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