Persons, Collections and Topics
Bean, William Jackson, 1863–1947
HI Archives collection no. 67
Correspondence, 1920
.25 linear feet (1 folder)
Biographical Note
William Jackson Bean (1863–1947) was associated with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1883–1929), and served as curator there for seven years (1922–1929). He wrote the guide Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles (John Murray, London, 1914), which was known by British and Irish gardeners simply as "Bean." Currently in its eighth edition, "Bean" is still used as a reference today.
Scope and Contents Note
The three letters in this collection were written by Bean to British ornithologist Heatley Noble (1862–1922) and mainly concern the genus Magnolia Linnaeus, which Bean was determining for him. The species mentioned are Magnolia conspicua (Magnolia denudata Desroussaux), Magnolia lennei (Magnolia hybrid), Magnolia rustica (Magnolia hybrid), Magnolia soulangiana (Magnolia × soulangeana Soulange-Bodin), Magnolia spectabilis hort. and Magnolia yulan (Magnolia denudata Desroussaux). Crataegus coccinea (Crataegus pedicellata Sargent) is also mentioned.
Finding aid
A finding aid for this collection is available online.
Other resources
For information about portraits of and biographical citations for this subject, see the Hunt Institute Archives Register of Botanical Biography and Iconography database.
William Jackson Bean (1863–1947), unknown location, August 1939, 17.5 × 12.5 cm, photograph by Francis Ballard, HI Archives portrait no. 1, reproduced by permission of the photographer.
