Format: ORAL

Madeline E. White1

1. Faculty of History, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

The du Bois Herbarium, a collection of nearly 14,000 botanical specimens pristinely preserved within the Oxford University Herbaria, is a unique relic of early modern science. Compiled by English East India Company treasurer Charles du Bois between 1680 and 1740, the Herbarium is closely tied to leading figures of eighteenth-century botany, melding early British scientific and colonial histories into a single source. Despite the compendiums exciting potential, the du Bois Herbarium remains one of the least explored collections of its kind, largely neglected after it was dismantled from its original binding in the 19th century. While long deemed archaic, this project argues that the du Bois Herbarium should instead be considered a vibrant scientific archive, brimming with details about the inner workings of natural history and its ties with Britains early colonial endeavours in India. Charles du Bois and his herbarium bring a fresh perspective to the histories of eighteenth-century botany, which have long been dominated by a historiographical hyper-fixation on the Atlantic world and more famous figures such as Hans Sloane and Joseph Banks. Furthermore, du Boiss unique interest in collecting and documenting South Asian plant names, allows for an unprecedented opportunity to trace the interest in, and treatment of, indigenous Indian knowledge within pre-Linnean taxonomical systems. Highlighting the accompanying manuscripts and materiality of the herbarium, this examination also shows how these now-discarded naming systems are central to reconstructing the herbariums original form. Charles du Bois stood at a key crossroads between early modern structures of commerce, science, and empire, presenting an ideal entry to discussions of decolonising natural history. The first to bring such a critical lens to the University of Oxfords historical collections, this project shows how centuries-old specimens provide deeper insight into early modern botany, and the larger scientific and colonial communities that underpinned its development.