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Historical Sketch of William Bartram (1739-1823)
William Bartram, American born internationally known natural scientist, was a superb artist and journalist whose record of experiences during his travels has carried his name and fame throughout his native land and far overseas. At an early age he exhibited great talent for sketching natural objects.
His father John Bartram, a Quaker, was appointed botanist to King George III of Great Britain in 1765. He had founded the first botanical garden in America in Pennsylvania in 1728. William accompanied his father on botanical expeditions and showed a strong inclination to follow in his father's footsteps as a naturalist. His father's friend, the English naturalist Peter Collinson, had before his death in 1768 shown William's drawings, which he called "elegant performances," to the Duchess of Portland and to Dr. John Fothergill, a botanist and a friend, who soon extended his patronage to the young American. At Fothergill's expense, Bartram spent the years of 1772-1777 exploring the southeastern part of the United States.
His experiences and sketches are chronicled in "Travels of William Bartram," first published in Philadelphia in 1791. This book, published in many editions and translated in many languages, has been the principal cause of his fame as it contains precious information on the primeval flora and fauna of America. This account of his "Travels" is valuable for its botanical record and was written with such colorful detail and poetic feeling that Samuel Coleridge and William Wordsworth used it as a source for some of their poems. Coleridge called Bartram's "Travels" the last book "written in the spirit of the old travellers." He was indebted to it for many of the gorgeous images which later found their way into "The Ancient Mariner," "Kubla Khan," and lesser poems.
No single American naturalist has pioneered in so many fields of scientific discovery as Bartram. In the study of bird, plant and animal life his early record is unmatched. He preceded Audubon by a generation. His detailed accounts of early Indian life is also significant. Bartram's botanical and zoological nomenclature inspired devotees of natural science.
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