Welcome to Henry's Travel Blog! |
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Although he kept detailed business papers, Missouri Botanical Garden founder Henry Shaw left little personal material for biographers to consider in analyzing his life. One of the few items which remain is a series of five journals. Following his retirement from the hardware business in 1840, Shaw traveled abroad and made notes, recollections, and even sketches in these small bound books. Join us as we chart Henry's journey to Europe and beyond. |
| Shaw's variable spellings, punctuation, and grammar, preserved throughout, are typical even for well-educated gentlemen in the 19th Century. Important note (4/14/09): The entries from March 11, 2009 through April 8, 2009, correspond to recently discovered text from Henry Shaw's journal. They will be posted online under the correct dates to preserve chronological accuracy. | |
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June 4, 1841: Sketching |
Breakfasted at the usual hour of nine and remained most of the morning in doors - after twelve took my book and wandered to the Pnyx of Themistocles - found goats grazing where the Athenian orators used to stand - sat down and took a pencil sketch of the temple of Jupiter Olympus and the gate of Adrian - have almost lost my sketching talents for want of practice -
I was born on July 24, 1800, in Sheffield, England. On May 3, 1819, I arrived at a small French village on the Mississippi called St. Louis. I owned a hardware store and worked there from 1819 to 1840. In 1840, I retired and traveled around the world. In 1851, after seeing the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, outside London and the Chatsworth gardens in Devonshire, I decided to create my own garden in St. Louis.
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