Is Lauterjung

Numerous paper registered files stored vertically on five horizontal white shelves.

For #EYADigital, we’re looking back at how Kew managed its corporate records - from filing paper documents to reviewing which should be archived or securely destroyed. While some paper files remain, we now support staff in managing records effectively in a primarily digital environment. #KewLA

A letter which at the top includes a drawing in ink and the number ‘151’ printed and written in the top left corner. The drawing depicts from left to right: a pot cooking with steam rising from it; a Bhotea mastiff dog writing a note using a quill; a tent with a person sat at a table inside. There are mountains drawn in the background. Underneath, the letter notes that it was sent from Darjeeling on April 2. The contents of the letter discuss Joseph Hooker’s Bhotea mastiffs – Bruno and puppy Kinchin. It mentions that Kinchin is cleaned daily with mustard oil and woods ashes, he steals cheese from Joseph Hooker’s dinner and that Kinchin learnt English was being taught how to write. Ref: JDH/1/10, ff.151

Did you know botanist Sir Joseph Hooker travelled with two Bhotea mastiff dogs? Today’s featured image for #ExploreYourArchive Week #EYAPets is a playful drawing from his letters, showing Kinchin the dog being ‘taught’ to write.

Two typewritten documents, situated in the centre and left-hand side, layered on top of a handwritten logbook, situated on the right-hand side.

For #EYASilence, we thought it fitting to look back at a time in which the Gardens had to be silent. This instruction sheet, issued during the Blitz in WWII, and an air raid logbook detail how the frequency of bombing raids led to the regular suppression of daily operations. #KewLA

One our oldest things and an exciting day when we stumbled across it 🤓
#EYAMedieval

A blank grey paper folder on a brown wooden surface.

Numerous coloured illustrations of mushrooms layered on top of each other so that corners and sections of pages are obscured. On each sheet there are light pencil annotations next to the illustrations.

What #EYABeauty lies on the inside of this unassuming folder? We're showing off Elsie Wakefield's fungi illustrations today 🍄 Wakefield became Head of Mycology at Kew Gardens in 1915 and our Archives hold her personal papers collection, which includes letters, illustrations and photographs. #KewLA

🌲 Follow along for this year's #ExploreYourArchive posts - we've picked some great items from our collections 🤓

#EYA
#EYAConservation

Black and white photograph showing a large tree sitting in a cart attached to three horses who are ready to pull it across the Gardens. The reigns of each horse are held by a handler and the faint outline of Kew's Palm House can be seen in the background.

On #NationalTreeWeek we'd like to highlight the incredible efforts of Kew's past colleagues who were faced with the challenging task of moving trees across the Gardens. This photograph from Kew's Library and Archives depicts William Barron's ingenious horse-drawn tree transporter 🌳 #KewLA

A woman and a man are sat at reading desks with the woman in the foreground. A book is propped open before her.

Ready to take your library career to the next level?

Applications are now open for international mid to senior library and archive professionals to join us in July 2026 for the International Library Leaders Programme.

Learn more bit.ly/BL-ILLP

Illustration of Pajanelia longifolia (named as Bignonia multijuga) showing the flowers and leaves of the plant which has been cut off at the stem. Several branches of green leaves fan out from the stem above which are shown pale yellow flowers each with a delicate purple centre. The faint undersketch of a leaf can be seen in the upper right while three partially coloured fllower dissections can be seen on the right. Underneath the illustration to the left is written 'Wallich 1828 East Ind. Co.' which makes reference to Wallich's employer - The East India Company. Two different plant determinations are also written under the image identifying it as Pajanelia rheedii or Bignonia multijuga

Did you know Kew’s Library and Archives hold 7,000+ Indian illustrations? This vibrant Pajanelia longifolia piece by Vishnupersad - commissioned by Nathaniel Wallich - is now on show. Explore Flora Indica at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery through April 2026. #KewLA

Black and white illustration of a market scene with mushroom sellers. At the back is a stone archway with van Sterbeeck's portrait above it. Surrounding him are children holding garlands of mushrooms, with smiling faces on the left, and sad expressions on the right.

Title page of the book by Franciscus van Sterbeeck. The titles reads: Theatrum Fungorum oft het Tooneel der Campernoelien. It has a further description about the contents of the work in Dutch. It was published in 1675 in Antwerp by Joseph Iacobs and has a small engraving of a bundle of mushrooms at the bottom. The page has a library stamp at the top left and slight yellowing.

Autumn is in full swing, and so is mushroom season! This lovely engraving is from the 1675 book "Theatrum Fungorum" by Belgian priest and mycologist Franciscus van Sterbeeck. The facial expressions of the children above the doorway symbolise edible (left) versus poisonous (right) mushrooms. #KewLA

Herbarium illustration of a paper showing colour code bar at the top of the image.

Today on #ArmisticeDay, we're remembering the Kew staff who served during both World Wars and balanced their lives in science and horticulture with duty and sacrifice 🧵👇

#KewLA

Promotional image for 'Sensing Spaces: The History of Colour, Art and Care' held online by the Royal College of Nursing on 19 November 2025, 5.30pm - 7pm. It features an abstract painting of two faces by the artist Mary Barnes.

🎨 What are the colours of care? Join us online for a fascinating talk exploring the history of colour in 20th century hospitals in Britain. Free and open to all!

🎟️Book your place: https://bit.ly/4qfnEc6

Image: Mary Barnes: At the Well, oil on board, c/o Falkland Estate.

Always a great day to promote our collections and engage with researchers and other organisations 🤓 #HistDay25
@senatehouselib.bsky.social

Fantastic case study on the application of #recordsincontext and how it can help indigenous and minority communities create more cohesive and visible histories!

ica-egad.github.io/RiC-AG/case_...

Guardians of Knowledge – Libraries and Information in Zimbabwe Zimbabwean speakers share experiences of setting up, running and using libraries in their local communities. Free, donations invited.

The Britain Zimbabwe Society is hosting Guardians of Knowledge – Libraries and Information in Zimbabwe. This event will feature a stunning panel discussing their experiences of setting up and running libraries for their local communities.

📍Online
📅 Nov 15; 12-3pm GMT

Learn more: bit.ly/47Br4gY

🌷 If you'd like to find out more about the exhibition @shabnambalouch.bsky.social and I co-curated, do have a read of our blog post! We go into a bit more detail on the research and collections involved. 🌷

Traineeships

There are two archival traineeships available at the @eui-euarchives.bsky.social including one for AV archives. If you know a student or recent graduate that might be interested this is a great international opportunity! www.eui.eu/about/jobopp...

Ever wondered what stories lie behind Kew’s collections? 🌍
Today’s the day to find out – it’s #AskAnArchivist Day! Our archivists are here to answer your questions about rare books, explorers’ journals and the care of centuries-old plant records.

Ask below 👇
#AskAnArchivist #KewArchives

Still time to register for this event! Go go go!

It’s not opera that’s elitist but the idea that art is to... The myth that culture has not been for the masses is debunked in a new book

Excellent article. Shameful that it's 'either football or opera'. observer.co.uk/news/columni...

🌳Exciting news! Our own Caroline Cornish & Christina Hourigan guest edited a special issue of Plant Perspectives on Tree Cultures & Arboreal Humanities.

From Kew tree biographies to literary & cultural stories, discover how trees can inspire both research and imagination👇

@treeseeker.bsky.social

Close up of letter from H.M. Ward to his mother, reading: ‘July 20: I have just got the second batch of your poems. I strongly advise you to be careful, the ideas are…& poetical to a degree; but you…too apt to lose the on the metre on you…in technical construction.

Handwritten poem by J Fraser, titled ‘The Corn Poppy’ with a sentence crossed out then four stanzas reading: “The scarlet poppy reddens daily, Amongst the cornfields blossoms gaily, Makes comely neighbours wanton palely, and dazzles all beneath the skies, But beckons me with swanting [sic] eyes. Uh! Could I like the gliding swallow, Explore the vale and upland follows, No more in smoky dens I’d swallow, No longer breathe the air that falls Midst crowded streets and staring walls. Then would I bid adieu to collow, And scour the…height and hollow, Un…the downs and blithely follow, along the fields where bright corn rose – The glorious flaming poppy – glows. To-day would have no room for sorrow, No boding thoughts to gloom to-morrow, And each day after fair would borrow Another glide along the plain, to search amongst the bended grain’”

Loose papers, with handwritten poem on top of five stanzas, the second of which is crossed out then rewritten underneath. It reads: “The transport bent by wholesome breezes, Where charming guise of landscape pleases, Brings life amend, as man can…., and genders thanks for flow’r so fair, That smile and make my errand there. I love to see the wild bee settle, Upon the smooth and silky petal, And laugh to view its ardent mettle, When tumbling round the…flow’r, Collecting bee bread hour by hour. The longest day draws with gloaming, And puts an end to handsome roaming; I grieve to mark its shadows coming, But more to think when day is blind, that I must leave my flow’r behind. The corn, the poppy, bee and ether, And birds that wing on airy feather, all choose the wilds and hang together, Beneath the great and blue sky-dome, And I must visit them at home” Signed at end: J.F., March 15th 1919

Botanist or poet? For National Poetry Day, we discovered poetry hidden amongst the personal papers of botanists - from J. Fraser’s 1919 poem on poppies to H.M Ward’s critique’s on his mother’s poetry!
#KewLA

🌷New exhibition open - this was such a great experience to co-curate with @shabnambalouch.bsky.social and learn more about Persia. We have chosen to highlight the non-botanical, the cultural and social histories often tucked away in botanists' papers. 🌷

www.kew.org/kew-gardens/...

A close-up of a coloured illustration of a brown algae. There is a central 'stem' with equally thick sections branching off from it.

A coloured illustration of an algae that resembles a bushel of grass. The stems are tightly packed towards the bottom of the illustration and branch outwards towards the top, much like wheat or grass.

Two partial coloured illustrations on overlaying pages. The page on the top shows an illustration at the bototm of the picture, which could be a close-up or a cross-section of an algae. Small green squares are grouped, resembling illustrations of cells, and small black circular specs are grouped together across the surface. The illustration on the page below is only partial and also shows a cross section of a beige-brown algae.

Another week, another beautiful item spotted in our Reading Room at Kew! These incredible drawings of 'submersed algae' are from Sir William Hooker's collection (safely stored within our Archives). Check out the incredible detail in each line 👇
#KewLA

For Applicants

Call for applications: Endangered Archives Programme
eap.bl.uk/applicants

An oil on paper painting of a landscape depicting Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, with trees and shrubs in the foreground. A sloth is seen feeding on a Trumpet Tree on the left.

As the Last Night of the Proms approaches, we'd like to introduce you to the Trumpet Tree (Cecropia peltata L.) 🎺
Native to tropical South America, its hollow branches have been used to craft musical instruments. This original painting by Marianne North captures a sloth feeding on said tree! #KewLA

Reflecting on our first ARA conference session, our speakers wanted to share a few words:

"Thank you very much to ARA for the opportunity to speak and to introduce the International Group to the wider sector. It was great to see so many people in the room and on a Friday afternoon at that!"

“It’s a secret garden”: National Theatre turns roof into a riot of colour with dye plants Textile artists are reshaping how the theatre makes its costumes with the aim of replacing harsh synthetic dyes

A small good thing, also beautiful.

www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/s...

🚨Come and join our team! A great opportunity to open up colonial collections and do community engagement and outreach work!

Full-time fixed term (12 months)
Salary: £32.9k - £34.5k
Closing date: 21/09/2025

A shelf of large and very old leather books

Try to imagine life in 2641. This is why archives, museums and libraries are AMAZING.

End.