Thoreau floral collection inspires new exhibition
Through his close relationship with the woods of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau observed the ebb and flow of the natural world first-hand.
Prolific in his practice of collecting botanical samples, Thoreau’s journals reveal detailed observations on local flora.
Six hundred forty-eight specimens, long preserved in the Harvard University Herbaria, now serve as the foundation of a new exhibition, “In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss,” at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
The exhibition is an immersive multidisciplinary experience that marries art and science through a modern artistic interpretation of Thoreau’s preserved plants.
It invites visitors to ask, “What do Thoreau’s findings tell us about what plants are winning, and what plants are losing, in the face of climate change today?”
Through his close relationship with the woods of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau observed the ebb and flow of the natural world first-hand. Prolific in his practice of collecting botanical samples, Thoreau’s journals reveal detailed observations on local flora.
Six hundred forty-eight specimens, long preserved in the Harvard University Herbaria, now serve as the foundation of a new exhibition, “In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss,” at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
The exhibition is an immersive multidisciplinary experience that marries art and science through a modern artistic interpretation of Thoreau’s preserved plants. It invites visitors to ask, “What do Thoreau’s findings tell us about what plants are winning, and what plants are losing, in the face of climate change today?”
