Britton's Botanical Empire. Mem (94)
In the 1890s botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton united New York City's private Gilded Age wealth with the expertise of its increasingly well-respected scientific community in order to realize his vision of a world-class botanical research institution situated within the landscaped confines of a newly annexed Bronx park. The resulting New York Botanical Garden became a decidedly American place for the practice of New World botany. Britton's success in establishing the Botanical Garden illustrates the ways in which taxonomic botany remained a priority among scientific endeavors into the twentieth century and beyond. Today, the Garden ranks among the most important institutions, both for New York City and the botanical world.
In the 1890s botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton united New York City's private Gilded Age wealth with the expertise of its increasingly well-respected scientific community in order to realize his vision of a world-class botanical research institution situated within the landscaped confines of a newly annexed Bronx park. The resulting New York Botanical Garden became a decidedly American place for the practice of New World botany. Britton's success in establishing the Botanical Garden illustrates the ways in which taxonomic botany remained a priority among scientific endeavors into the twentieth century and beyond. Today, the Garden ranks among the most important institutions, both for New York City and the botanical world.