Emily's Pressings, C. 1841 IX - Small

Emily Dickinson, poet of Amherst, Massachusetts, received formal training in botany and horticulture while a student at Amherst Academy from age 9 to 16. Her devotion to the science of and appreciation for plants came naturally, however. She joined her mother in gardening from an early age and took charge of a family conservatory in her teens. Her herbarium, produced during her years at Amherst Academy, was a treasure to her. With added labels in Dickinson’s hand giving botanical names and, in most cases, Linnaean class and order numbers. More than half the specimens represent native or naturalized species in the Amherst area; the remainder are yard, garden, or house plants. These images are presented in an ornate antique white frame.