John Evelyn, Hortus Hyemalis or collection of plant specimens

Although he was only an amateur scientist, the diarist John Evelyn made many important contributions to the study of botany and horticulture. He spent much of his life writing an encyclopaedic history of gardening, which ultimately was never published. In 1645 he made this album of dried plant samples taken from the public botanic garden at Padua (the oldest in Europe). Once vibrant with colour, the album contains real plant specimens such as dorian woundwort, mandrake and hellebore. Shown here: ff. 2v–3r