William Whitman Bailey papers, 1856-1914

These papers of William Whitman Bailey (1843-1914), Brown University professor of botany, consist of correspondence, diaries (20 vols), manuscripts, addresses, poems, drawings, paintings, sketches, notebooks, and scrapbooks dating from 1856 to 1914, that document the professional activities and family life of botanist William Whitman Bailey. In his letters, Bailey wrote about his reading and other literary pursuits; his publications; plants and botany; professional activities at Brown University; West Point; and excursions in New England, including Mt. Wachusett; Conway; and Cumberland, R.I.

Botanical specimens that Bailey found are described in some letters. Some early letters were written while he was a schoolboy at the University Grammar School in Providence. Botany is documented in the Manuscripts series through lecture notes, essays on flowers, sketches of specimens, and plant analysis. Other topics covered in the Manuscripts series include Bailey's private library, reading, and reminiscences of West Point. The Manuscripts series includes addresses, essays, notebooks, and scrapbooks. Poems written by Bailey are in the Letters by William Whitman Bailey series and in the Manuscripts series. The Botanical Sketches series (ca. 5 linear ft.) includes botanical sketches, drawings, and paintings that appear to have been created in various combinations of pen and colored ink, pen and watercolor, and pencil and colored pencil.

Format(s): Manuscripts, Graphics, Letters
Library: John Hay

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Online Catalog (BruKnow):
General description of the collection available on BruKnow

In-house Access to the Collection:
Typescript Inventory

Related Collections:
Brown University Archives Collection
History of Science Collection