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John Torrey (1) Native Flowers of New York  The hand-colored lithographs below are cut from John Torrey's classic A Flora of New York, published in New York by Appleton & Co., and Wiley & Putnam, 1843 . The colored edition of this work is rare, with only about 300 published. Size: 9 x 11.25 inches |
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John Torrey (1796-1873) was the first professional botanist in the New World. Publishing extensively on North American flora, Torrey promoted the "natural system" of classification that was replacing the artificial system of Linnaeus. With his pupil Asa Gray, he produced the monumental Flora of North America. Never able to make a living from botany, Torrey was forced to support himself as a chemistry teacher and as an assayer for the US mint. Nonetheless, he was considered the leading American botanist of his time and was often asked by the government to describe collections from New York State, the West, Mexico, and Central America. Torrey founded the Botanical Club of New York (1858), which later (1870) became the Torrey Botanical Club. |
