Introduction
Within the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Botany Hall, there is a history that has yet to be fully explored and shown to the public: the critical role of women in the hall’s creation. I This was a space within the Natural History Museum and a scientific discipline in which women not only existed but dominated. In the early stages of this project, I thought bringing to light the work these women have contributed to the museum would be enough to tell this story. As I immersed myself in the museum’s archival images and documents, however, I found myself thinking more broadly of how the subject of botany, museum studies, and gender studies intersect.
How did botany become so accessible for women in the museum compared to other the scientific disciplines?
Was the study of botany considered “women’s work”?
Is the museum’s neglect of the space influenced by this notion?
Using the narratives of women involved in the creation and funding of this hall, I attempt to address these questions.
