Story: Collecting

Fern album

Fern collecting was a popular pastime in 19th-century New Zealand. Fern fronds were collected, dried in a press and then mounted in albums. The beautiful cover of this album (1) was made from native New Zealand timbers by craftsman Anton Seuffert around 1875. The marquetry fern images on the front cover show that it was made to house a fern collection. The examples from the album are Lomaria filiformis (2), Trichomanes venosum (3) and Lycopodium volubile (4). This album was a ready-made collection – it was one of a number put together by Thomas Cranwell and Eric Craig for sale.

Using this item

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Reference: GH003578; GH003578/1; GH003578/9; GH003578/14

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Richard Wolfe, 'Collecting - Early collecting', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/37315/fern-album (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Richard Wolfe, published 5 Sep 2013