COVE

Exotic Botany, Vol. 1

Sir James Edward Smith and James Sowerby, 1804

ROM Library Rare Books, Gift of Dr. Noel Hynes, 2005

On display at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON

The book Exotic Botany by Sir James Edward Smith and James Sowerby consists in a collection of descriptions and illustrations of exotic plants and flowers, which were introduced in Europe throughout the long-eighteenth century. Its scope was to introduce these plants to European cultivators, and to inform them about where to find them and, possibly, how to acquire them. Volume 1 of the complete work, which is made up of two books, is currently displayed at the Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto, and is part of a temporary installation titled Floral: Desire and Design. The goal of the exhibit is to portray the interest and fascination with the natural world that emerged between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, with a particular focus on Europe. The emergence of this trend was encouraged by the expansion of the global market, and by the contemporary improvements in efficiency and accessibility in the fields of transportation and travelling. This renewed passion for nature emerged also as a response to the growing urbanization and the progressive development of the modern cityscape. The book was inspired by the works of Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), the father of modern taxonomy, and Sir Joseph Banks (1743–1820), a prominent botanist who was appointed president of the Royal Society in 1778. Exotic Botany is an emblematic work of the Romantic age, as it resonates with many aspects of the Romantic mindset and lifestyle. In a way, botany as a discipline encapsulated the interest in nature and discovery of the time. As well, exoticism and the admiration for foreign plants and unexplored natural scenarios captures the typically Romantic idea of the picturesque. 

Key words: economic botany, Royal Society, rare books, exploration, the picturesque.