Found in the Archives

Katy Davies

Historically, women botanists and women botanical artists were rarely given as much credit as their male counterparts. These often unrecognised contributions made a huge impact on our current understanding of botany.Kew Gardens has made some efforts to acknowledge women’s roles in its history on their website. However, these names are often mentioned briefly and without sufficient enough context. Their stories and their work deserve more attention. This project seeks to change that by exploring the significant work of these women and their impact on Kew and the field of botany. This effort is also a small contribution to Kew Gardens’ attempt at fostering honest conversations about their role in history, conversations that cannot take place if the history and contributions of specific groups remain difficult to access.