Journal

This article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration 2012 No. 3 issue

Joseph Hooker: Botanical Trailblazer
by Pat Briggs, with an introduction by Jim Endersby

This richly-illustrated little book follows Joseph Hooker’s career as he struggles to raise botany from a Victorian gentleman’s hobby to a recognized science.

Through his world travels and network of collectors, he identified more than 12,000 new plant species, published several illustrated books and journals on plants and eventually followed in his father‘s footsteps as Director of Kew Garden. Charles Darwin, his good friend and colleague, was so impressed with his...

— Researched and transcribed by Mary Parrish, Smithsonian Institution.

This is the 1957 job description for the paleo-Illustration position of GNSI Founder Lawrence B. Isham, Department of Geology, U.S.National Museum, Smithsonian Institution. It provides an interesting insight into the requirements for a museum staff illustrator position in the mid-twentieth century.

Official Position Description for Lawrence B. Isham dated 2/27/57

Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum, Department of Geology; author unknown.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 543
Courtesy Smithsonian Institution

Serves as Scientific Illustrator for the...

— Frank Ippolito ©1993

This article appears in the 1993 Journal of Natural Science Illustration (Vol. 2, No. 1)

Editor’s Note: The 2010 reissue of this article is a modification of the original. Two of the illusrations are replaced with different subject matter fro purposes of better color reproduction. All illustrations in the original print edition are in black and white.

The field of Scientific Illustration often demands the production of highly detailed, accurate renderings that must survive the less-than-perfect world of photographic reproduction. The collaborative efforts between artist and researcher/author require the illustrator to adopt a most...

Using Engineering Principles to Reconstruct Leaf Shape: A Methodology to Predict Life Posture of Leaves of Extinct Plants — Marlene Hill Donnelly

Abstract: In reconstructing the elements of a convincing prehistoric landscape, some approaches require engineering equations while others depend on subtle nuances of personal observation. The reconstruction of a fossil taxon can be strongly supported with reference to a related extant species. Where no such living plant exists, visualization and imagination are not enough; creating models using structural engineering principles and in-depth field study of living analogs is vital to both accuracy and artistic authenticity. All images copyrighted by Marlene Hill Donnelly,...