In the early twentieth century, the English ecologist AG Tansley lamented the pervasive problem of the international misunderstanding of nature: “Workers in different countries use different names for the same thing and the same name for different things.” (New Phytologist, 1911, p. 273) In order to create some consensus concerning the concepts and language of ecological plant aimed to bring together leading plant geographers and other botanical experts from Europe and North America to explore together the vegetation of a particular host country. It was held first in the British Isles and the group traveled for 4 weeks in the month of August, 1911, ending up in Portsmouth for the meeting of British Association. The IPE became a thriving twentieth century institution (the last Excursion was held in Poland in 1989), meeting every two to four years in a different country, with its headquarters at the Geobotanical Institute of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich.
Transnational Ecologies is very pleased to be able to make some of the rare images of the 1911 IPE available to the public. With thanks to the British Ecological Society and Library of Congress which have generously allowed us to copy these images and now display them on the website, we hope the NiCHE community will find these photographs of interest. If you wish to copy or reproduce them yourself, please contact the BES or the Library of Congress for permission.
Au début du 20ème siècle, l’écologiste anglais AG Tansley déplorait les malentendus existant au niveau international au sujet de la nature: ” Les travailleurs de différents pays emploient des noms différents pour la même chose et le même nom pour des choses différentes. ” (New Phytologist, 1911, p. 273). Dans le but d’harmoniser les concepts et le vocabulaire de la phytogéographie écologique, Tansley a fondé The International Phytogeographical Excursion (IPE). Cette initiative visait à rassembler les phytogéographes émérites ainsi que les experts en botanique d’Europe et d’Amérique du Nord pour explorer la végétation d’un pays cible. La première excursion s’est déroulée dans les Îles Britanniques. Le groupe y a voyagé pendant 4 semaines au mois d’août 1911, avant d’arriver à Portsmouth où s’est tenue la réunion de l’association britannique. L’EPI, devenue une institution prospère du 20ème siècle (la dernière excursion a eu lieu en Pologne en 1989), a lieu tous les deux ou quatre ans dans un pays différent. Son siège social se trouve à l’Institut géobotanique de l’Institut fédéral de technologie à Zürich.
Les membres du chantier « Écologies transfrontalières » sont très heureux de mettre à la disposition du public les rares images de l’EPI de 1911. Nous remercions la Société écologique de Grande-Bretagne et la Bibliothèque du Congrès de nous avoir autorisés à copier ces images et à les diffuser à partir de notre site Internet. Nous espérons que le réseau de NiCHE y trouvera un intérêt. Si vous souhaitez les copier ou les reproduire, veuillez contacter directement la BES ou la Bibliothèque du Congrès pour obtenir une autorisation.
IPE 1911
A.G. Tansley of Cambridge, England seated, between F.E. Clements of Minneapolis, USA (left) and G.C. Druce of Surrey, England (right) on a boat trip during the 1911 International Phytogeographical Excursion of the British Isles.
Sutton Broad, Norfolk. Photographer Elizabeth Cowles.
Mrs. Clements, Mrs. Cowles and unidentified woman in the South Downs, England. Photographer unknown.
Marietta Pallis, leader of the Norfolk Broads section, besides H.C. Cowles and Elizabeth Cowles of Chicago, USA. Photographer E. Rubel.
Marietta Pallis, standing, beside F.E. Clements, sitting. Boating in the Norfolk Broads. Photographer Elizabeth Cowles.
Barton Broad, Norfolk. Photographer Jean Massart of Brussels, Belgium.
Gaining some altitude at Blakeney, Norfolk. Photographer Elizabeth Cowles.
Marietta Pallis with A.G. Tansley in the Norfolk Broads, 1911 IPE. Photographer F E Clements.
[Henry Chandler Cowles of the University of Chicago Department of Botany, Frederic Edward Clements of the University of Minnesota, and members of the] International Phytogeographic Excursion in Europe at Truro, Cornwall, England.
From left to right: Dr. Oscar Drude and Mrs. Drude of Dresden, Germany with Mrs. Edith Clements of Minneapolis, USA (in Germany just prior to the 1911 IPE). Photographer FE Clements.
IPE 1913
Sir Arthur George Tansley and Mrs. Edith Tansley of Cambridge University at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-ILS428], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
[Botanists Henry C. Cowles (left) botanist from the University of Chicago, and Professor Arthur. G. Tansley, botanist from Cambridge, England, studying leaf formations during the International Phytogeographic Excursion in America]. Chicago Daily News, Inc., photographer. CREATED/PUBLISHED [ca. 1913 Aug. 1]
SUMMARY
Portrait of botanists Henry C. Cowles (left) botanist from the University of Chicago, and Professor Arthur. G. Tansley, botanist from Cambridge, England, studying leaf formations near Lake Bluff, Illinois, during the International Phytogeographic Excursion in America. The Excursion was a scientific tour of significant natural environments in the United States by a visiting party of the leading European botanical experts of the time. The party reached Chicago on Aug. 1, 1913 and stayed for three days before continuing westward.
Credit: DN-0060959, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.
Sir Arthur George Tansley [of Cambridge University with an unidentified man on a University of Chicago Department of Botany field trip]
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-ILP236], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
Sir Arthur and Mrs.] Tansley [walking in] Grama [and] Buffalo Grass [near] cactus, Akron, Colorado
Bulbilis dactyloides synonymy: Buchloe dactyloides; Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
Slidemaker: Nichols, George E. (George Elwood), 1882-1939
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-COS2], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-con4], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.con4
University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Resource Center
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-cop6], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cop6
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Resource Center. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.inn103
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-ORP9], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.orp9
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-LIS55], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.ils55
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913; Unidentified site
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-CAP23], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cap23
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-ORP9], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.orp9
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-con4], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.con4
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
Slidemaker: Nichols, George E. (George Elwood), 1882-1939
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-COS249], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cos249
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913; Unidentified site
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-CAP23], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cap23
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
Slidemaker: Nichols, George E. (George Elwood), 1882-1939
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-MIS215], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.mis215
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-COS302], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cos302
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
Slidemaker: Nichols, George E. (George Elwood), 1882-1939
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-COS252], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cos252
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-CAP22], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cap22
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
Slidemaker: Fuller, George D. (George Damon), 1869-1961
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-COS7], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cos7
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
Slidemaker: Fuller, George D. (George Damon), 1869-1961
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-COS251], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cos251
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
Slidemaker: Nichols, George E. (George Elwood), 1882-1939
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-CAS159], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cas159
Images from the International Phytogeographic Excursion July-October 1913
Slidemaker: Fuller, George D. (George Damon), 1869-1961
digital collection: American Environmental Photographs
Credit: American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-COS8], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/icuaep.cos8
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