Richard Thomas Lowe: un ilustrador botánico desconocido

Abstract

Illustration is undoubtedly part of Botany history. In the early 19^th century, as botanical Latin became more accurate in yielding accurate descriptions, the need for illustration in scientific publications decreased. On the other hand, advances in printing processes boosted the production of illustrated botanical periodicals at accessible costs. Coloured depictions of plants were thence part of botany at all levels.

Richard Thomas Lowe (1802-1874) studied the flora of Madeira from 1826, when he first visited the island, to his death. He is well known as the author of Madeira’s first comprehensive Flora, but his work as a botanical illustrator is poorly known.

We analysed the graphic production related to his first major paper, published in 1831, along with written documents which, altogether, support a more complete understanding of Rev. Lowe’s botanical work in Madeira. We believe that joint analysis of these and of Lowe’s correspondence show that Lowe himself may have made the one illustration in this paper whose authorship is unknown.