History Collection

Eleanor Morland, Gertude Cope and Alice Hutchings, Kew gardeners, 1898
Eleanor Morland, Gertude Cope and Alice Hutchings, Kew gardeners, pictured in 1898, at RBG Kew. By 1902 all the women gardeners had left to take up horticultural posts elsewhere

William Barrons Tree Transplanter
William Barron (1805-91)s Tree transplantor at Kew. Barron devised a horse-drawn machine that would allow trees to be uprooted and carried distances of up to 32km without damage

Matilda Smith, botanical artist
Matilda Smith, Joseph Hookers second cousin, began training as a botanical artist in 1877, at the age of 23, and remained in Kews employ for 45 years

Cochineal beetle harvest, by Eadweard Muybridge
Dactylopius coccus, cochineal beetles being harvested from Opuntia cacti, Antigua, West Indies, for the production of carminic acid used in the carmine dye, cochineal

Seedlings of Cinchona succirubra, India, 1861
Seedlings of Cinchona succirubra, photographed on arrival in Ootacamund, southern India, 9 April 1861. Collected by Richard Spruce in Ecuador, the plants were received by WIlliam McIvor

The Rhododendron Dell, Kew Gardens
19th century photograph of The Rhododendron Dell, Kew Gardens. Originally Capability Browns " Hollow Walk" it was created in 1773 and planted with rhododendrons in 1850

Henry Ridley and rubber tree, Singapore
Extension of original cutting on an old Para rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis - Henry Ridley ( Rubber Ridley ) and rubber tree, tapped for latex

Wardian case in use
The Wardian case was used to protect and transport plants. It was invented by Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (1791-1868)

The Tea House, Kew Gardens, which opened in 1888, seen here before it was burned down by members of the womens suffrage movement as part of their campaign

Waterlily Pond, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, ca 1900
The waterlily pond, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, ca 1900. The pond was one of Sir William Thiselton-Dyers additions, heated by condensed steam from the local water supply

Henry Ridley
When Henry Ridley took over directorship of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, (1888-1911)there were many overgrown jungle areas and he was tasked with making a preliminary forest survey

Palm House and Parterre

The Palm House
Archival photograph of the Palm House

William Dallimore (1871-1959), known to his colleagues as " good old Dallimore" was a well-liked and long serving member of staff at RBG Kew for more than 45 years

planting bulbs on the Broadwalk

Barrons Tree Transplanter
A 19th century horse drawn machine used to move trees up to 20m

Nathaniel Wallich FRS (28 January 1786 - 28 April 1854)
Drawn by Daniel Macnee, coloured chalk on paper, mounted on card. Illustration of Nathaniel Wallich FRS (28 January 1786 - 28 April 1854) a surgeon and botanist of Danish origin who worked in India

Stella Ross Craig, botanical artist
Stella Ross-Craig, born in 1906, received an early induction into plant life from her father, a botanist, who taught his young daughter to identify wild flowers

Joseph Rock (1884-1962), a Viennese-born naturalist, author and linguist. From 1922 to 1949 he travelled through south-west China studying the flora, peoples, culture and languages of the region

Richard Spruce (1817-1893) botanist and plant collector who was commissioned by William Hooker to transfer the cinchona (quinine) industry from South America to India

Garden visitors inspect the Demonstration Plot at RBG Kew, during WWII
Garden visitors inspect the vegetables in the Demonstration Plot, Kew Gardens, during World War II. Visitor numbers increased between 1941

The Birdman, Mr Allaway, 1901
The Birdman, Mr Allaway feeding penguin outside Museum No. 1 - 1901. In 1899 three penguins were presented to Kew by Albert Linney

Women gardeners put on their clogs ready for work, World War II
Women gardeners were employed at Kew during World War II, after an interval of nearly a quarter of a century. Fourteen women were enrolled onto the staff in 1940

William Thiselton Dyer
On becoming Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, William Thiselton-Dyer appointed himself Inspector of the Kew Constabulary, a title that is still held by serving directors

Annie M Gulvin
Annie Gulvin and Alice Hutchings were the first female gardeners at Kew in 1896. Annie Gulvin (pictured here) left in 1897 to take up the post of head gardener on an estate in South Wales

Japanese Gateway, Kew Gardens c. 1910
Model of the Chokushi-Mon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger), better known as the Japanese Gateway, gifted to Kew after its inclusion in the Japan-British exhibition held at Shepherds Bush in 1910

Wardian Case
The Wardian case is a portable airtight, glass-lined greenhouse that was developed by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (1791-1868) for the transportation of plants

A View of the Palace from the North Side of the Lake
Engraving on paper, A View of the Palace from the North Side of the Lake, the Green House & the Temple of Arethusa, in the Royal Gardens at Kew

Kews women gardeners, November 1916, during World War I. During the war womens roles at Kew continued to grow. Back row (l-r) K W Harper, I L Lines, H A Rowan, M I Yeo, N J Watson, E M HArper

Richard Spruce (1817-1893) botanist, explorer, plant collector

History
Kew B2B History

Vegetables growing in the Demonstration Plot, RBG Kew, WWII
Vegetables growing in the Demonstration Plot, RBG Kew, during World War II. The Model Allotment Plan initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture was designed to provide a household of five people with a

Walter Fitch, Llewllyn House, Kew. Presented by his widow in 1904. Walter Fitch (1817-1892) was appointed as a botanical artist for Curtis Botanical magazine by William Hooker

The Kew Gardens Question. This political cartoon was published in 1878 as part of the ongoing debate as to whether the public should be allowed into the gardens in the mornings, before 1pm

Kew Pagoda from the Refreshment Pavillion

William Andrews Nesfields plan of the Broadwalk at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 12th May 1845

Women gardeners, The Rock Garden, RBG Kew, World War II
Women gardeners were again employed at Kew during World War II, after an interval of nearly a quarter of a century. Fourteen women were enrolled onto the staff in 1940

Female gardener working in the orchid house, during World War II
Female gardener working in the orchid house, RBG Kew, during World War II

World War II, Kew Gardens: Talk at the Demonstration plot about growing your own food
Sydney Albert Pearce, Assistant Curator of the Decorative Department, gives a talk at the Demonstration Plot in front of Kew Palace, 1940

Joseph Reardon pictured during service in WWI
Joseph Reardon joined the staff as a gardener in July 1914, having trained at Tully Nurseries, Kildare. He attended Kews " Mutual improvement Society" scoring the highest numbers in

Kew Guild dinner at the Holborn Restaurant, London, 1905. The Guild was established in 1893 to bring together past and present members of staff

Frank Norman Howes, RBG Kew
Frank Norman Howes inspecting samples of wood in the Museum store. Born in South Africa, he was Economic Botanist in the Gold Coast Department of Agriculture before becoming an Assistant in Kew

Ann Webster, botanical artist, RBG Kew, 1951
Ann Webster studied at Guildford School of Art before becoming a freelance botanical artist, contributing to Curtiss Botanical magazine, Flora of Tropical East Africa and other Kew publications

John Hutchinson, Keeper of Museums at Kew from 1936 to 1948. He curated Economic Botany collections and advised british ministries and colonial governments

The Kew Fire Brigade was operated on a voluntary basis by staff from the Gardens with, from 1882, a station in the Melon Yard on the Kew Road near the southern tip of Kew Green

The Royal Botanic Gardens Constabulary, ca 1910-1915
Photograph of William Thiselton Dyer and Royal Botanic Gardens Constabulary, ca 1910-1915. William Thiselton Dyer is the white-haired officer carrying the cane in the centre

The first four Keepers of the Herbarium, Kew Gardens
The first four Keepers of the Herbarium, left to right: Professor Daniel Oliver (Keeper 1864-90), W. Botting Hemsley (1899-1908), Dr Otto Stapf (1908-22) and J. G

The arrival of the flagstaff off the Sion Vista, Kew, circa 1916
The arrival of the flagstaff off the Sion Vista, Kew: " accepting delivery", circa 1916. Gifted by the Provincial Governement of British Columbia, it was towed along the Thames by tug boat

Joey the Stanley Crane, Kew Gardens
Joey the Stanley Crane was a well-known Kew personality. In 1935 The Journal of the Kew Guild described his eventful life, which included losing a toe to a lawn mower

Aircraft crash, Kew, 1928
On the 16th August, 1928, a single seater Siskin aircraft came down in flames to the west of the Syon Vista, Kew Gardens, during an aerial display

Burnt remains of the Refreshment Pavilion, Kew Gardens, 1913
In 1913 the tea pavilion at Kew Gardens was burnt down by members of the womens suffrage movement as part of their campaign

Ernest Henry Wilson (back row, second from right) with colleagues while working as a gardener at Kew, circa 1897. Two years later, in 1899, he would begin work as a plant collector

Directors House and Garden, Kew. Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer and Harriet Anne Thiselton-Dyer (Nee Hoche). He became Assistant Director of Kew in 1875

The Palm House, Kew Gardens
A visitor sits reading inside the Palm House, Kew Gardens. The Palm House was opened in 1848. Decimus Burton was the architect and Richard Turner as engineer provided the ironwork

Lalbagh Botanic Gardens, Bangalore, India were established in 1760 by Hyder Ali. Once they came under state control in 1856

Cultivation of Cinchona succirubra trees on the Madulsima Cinchona Cos estate, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1882. The plants pictured are 8 -10 years old

Women Gardeners (drinking tea) 1939
Women Gardeners (drinking tea), RBG Kew, 1939. A tea break was only instigated at Kew after Minnie Hill made a personal appeal to the director, Sir Arthur Hill

The broadwalk

Victoria Gate

Victoria Gate

Botanist Mary Ruth Fussel Jackson Taylor, RBG Kew, 1939
Botanist Mary Ruth Fussel Jackson Taylor, working in the Herbarium, RBG Kew, 1939

Women gardeners, RBG Kew, World War II
Women gardeners were again employed at Kew during World War II, after an interval of nearly a quarter of a century. Fourteen women were enrolled onto the staff in 1940

Potato tuber slices being dried in trays of peat, WWII
Supplies of seed potatoes were insufficient to demand during WWII, so Wiliam Campbell, Curator of Kew Gardens devised a method of growing potatoes using slices from the tuber instead

William Turrill in gas protection suit, spring 1940
Here, WIlliam Turrill models the full gas protection suit usually worn by Air Raid Wardens. In the spring of 1940 a Kew Gardens Platoon was formed

Vegetables cultivated on Kew Green, 1917
Vegetables cultivated in allotments on Kew Green to combat food shortages, 1917, during World War I

Charles Metcalf became Keeper of the Jodrell Laboratory in 1930. Here, he is identifying a timber specimen

Dr R. Melville, scientist at Kew, 1940 s
Dr R. Melville, scientist at Kew, working under Dr Hutchinson, Keeper of Museums, during the 1940 s, is seen here scraping pollen onto glass from a South African marigold

Jodrell Laboratory staff, 1963, with Charles Metcalf (Keeper of the Jodrell laboratory) centre

The Mounting Room
Two members of staff working int the Mounting Room, Kew Gardens. Once collected specimens have been dried and pressed, they are mounted onto a herbarium sheet of archival quality paper with an

William Thiselton Dyer, Director of Kew for thirty years from 1875

Sir William Thiselton Dyer in court dress with his Order of St Michael and St George, on being knighted in 1899

William Thiselton Dyer, Director of Kew Gardens
William Thiselton Dyer (1843-1928), Director of Kew Gardens 1885 to 1905 after the retirement of Joseph Hooker

H. W. Sayer
H.W. Sayer Sub-Foreman of the Temperate House pits, RBG Kew, May 1924. this was where plants destined for the Temperate House were propagated

Felled tree for Kew Flagstaff, British Columbia, 1914
British COlumbia 1914: The felled tree which was to form the great flagstaff at RBG Kew from 1919 to 1959. Made from a Douglas fir

The Great Flagstaff, RBG Kew, ca. 1900-1905
Photograph of The Great Flagstaff at RBG Kew, flying the Union Flag, ca. 1900-1905. It stood until August 2007

Kew Flag pole en route from Vancouver, 1915
The great Kew flagstaff is seen here en route from Vancouver aboard the SS Merionethshire, arriving at Tilbury Docks on 29 December 1915

Aircraft emergency landing, Kew, 1938
On 5th January 1938 an aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing near the Palm House, Kew. It had been pulling an advertising banner

Stereograph, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
This stereograph of the interior of one of the T-Range glasshouses shoes a sign requesting visitors to keep to the right and to refrain from touching the plants

Kew Green, Richmond, at the end of the August Bank Holiday, 1926
Kew Green, Richmond, at the end of the August Bank Holiday celebrations, 1926. William Dallimore, Keeper of the Museums of Economic Botany, Kew Gardens, described a Bank Holiday in the 1890 s

Amorphophallus titanum flowering, 1901
The Titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum is known as the corpse flower in its native Indonesia because of the rancid smell, described by Curtiss Botanical magazine as a mixture of rotten fish

Kew Road and Entrance to Kew Gardens
A horse-drawn trolley bus and a horse and cart in Kew Road, close to the entrance of Kew Gardens. Trolley buses such as these ran from the Orange Tree public house near Richmond Station to Kew Bridge

Kew Pier and steam boat
Steam boats were introduced in 1816. Initially they went straight to Richmond without stopping at Kew but eventually a stop at Kew Pier was added

Henry Ridley and houseboat, Kuala Tembeling, Malaysia, 1911
Henry Ridley standing by a houseboat at Kuala Tembeling in Malaysia, 1911. He travelled extensively in the Malay peninsula while director of the Singapore Botanic gardens

John Davenport Snowden and wife, Uganda 1916
John Davenport Snowden, botanical explorer and plant collector, with his wife, standing outside their tent at a camp near Kampala, Uganda, in 1916

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