“Many Happy Returns!”

Archiving the Birthday Book of George Claridge Druce

Sarah Stewart, B.Sc. Hons., M.Sc. May 23, 2011

OverviewPart I

• Druce: His Life and Work

• The Birthday Book: Historical Background

Part II

• Project Objectives and Methods

• Outcomes and What’s Next

• Summary and Conclusion

George Claridge Druce (1850-1932)

A Brief Biography1850 – b. Potterspury1872 – Passes Pharmaceutical Exams w, Honours1879 – Opens Chemists shop in Oxford

1886, 1897 – Flora of Oxfordshire published (2 eds.), Honorary MA from Oxford

1900 – Mayor of Oxford1903 – Presidency of Botanical Exchange Club1927 – Elected Fellow of the Royal Society1932 – d. Oxford

Contributions to Botany

• Four county floras published: Oxon (2 editions –1886, 1927), Berks (1897), Bucks (1926), Northants (1930)

• Over 500 taxa described• 200,000 herbarium specimens• Northamptonshire Natural

History Society (1876)• Ashmolean Natural History

Society (1880)• Botanical Exchange Club

(1903)• Honorary MA (1889) and FRS

(1927)• Change in focus to

conservation• Potamogeton druceii (Now P.

nodosus)

Photos: S. Harris

Orchis simia – The “Monkey Orchid”

Druce in Oxford

9 Crick Road – Yardley Lodge118 High St. – Druce & Co.

Max Beerbohm’s Zuleika Dobson (1911)

“Death cancels all engagements.”

The Birthday Book

A Fine Miscellany…

Some Emminent Personages…

Conservation Concerns

Problems

• Information and images contained with the Druce Birthday Book are inaccessible

• Significant Conservation Concerns

• Need a project that will address these issues

Project Objectives• Make contents of the Birthday Book accessible

for research

• Limit physical handling of a fragile and rare item

= Digital Archiving of Druce Birthday Book

Access Database – Entry Form

Special Relationships

1) One person connected with many separate items.

2) One item connected with many separate people.

Imaging the Druce Birthday Book…

Imaging, Cont’d…

Outcomes

Items - 782Images - 901Individuals - 735Addresses - 347Total Records = 2765

What’s Next?

Happy 161th, Dr. Druce – (1850-2011)

AcknowledgementsAnne-Marie Catterall

Dr. Stephen HarrisSerena Marner

Ollie BridleJuliet RalphRoger Mills

Catherine DockertyPenny Roberts