March is Women's History Month, so it's only fitting that we highlight some of the talented women who often pop up in the course of our day-to-day work in JCU Library’s Special Collections! But just so we could narrow it down (we have so many fascinating women in our Collections to choose from), we've chosen to put a spotlight on Natural History. Some of the women currently featured in our display cabinets are well-known to many of us. Perhaps you’ve already heard of botanists Wendy Cooper, and Betsy Jackes? How about Ellis Rowan – the 'flower-hunter'? Or botanical artist Betty Hinton? You'll find all of them in our new displays, but there might be some you've never heard of before...
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| Part of the 'Female Titans of North Queensland's Natural History' display, JCU Special Collections. |
Gladys Roberts – Scientific Illustrator
Between 1910 and 1930, Townsville-born Gladys Roberts worked on a casual basis for Dr Anton Breinl, at the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine, as a scientific illustrator. The colour illustrations in our display cabinets were published in the Institute’s report for 1911 and are signed by Gladys. They depict various parasites and micro-organisms, as seen under a microscope.
Gladys attended Townsville Grammar School from 1902 to 1905, and was among the earliest female students at the school. She was an excellent scholar, receiving prizes in History, Geography and English at the 1904 and 1905 school speech days. The achievements of both Gladys, and another female student named Effie Hartley – who was named Dux of the school in 1903 and 1904 – prompted Headmaster, P.F. Rowland, to change his mind about co-education; and soon the cap on female enrolments was increased to 'at least twenty a year'. The North Queensland Collection holds the Report for year 1911 Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine, along with numerous editions of the Townsville Grammar School Magazine.
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| Part of a display of scientific illustrations by Gladys Roberts. JCU Special Collections. |
Amalie Dietrich (1821–1891) was a 40-something, single mother from Germany who spoke little English; when she was sent to Queensland as a paid collector for the Godeffroy Museum
in Hamburg. Between 1863 and 1872 Amalie travelled and lived (alone)
in and around the frontier settlements of North Queensland, collecting
botanical and animal specimens in tropical Queensland. She spent three years living and collecting specimens in Bowen, north Queensland.
"Rich in species new to European biologists, Dietrich’s collections covered a wide range. All plant forms were represented; her spider collection, the first significant collection of Australian spiders, constituted an especially important part of her entomological contributions. She also assembled the largest collection of Australian birds made by any one person; marsupials, fishes, sea slugs, marine algae, and some of Australia’s deadliest snakes were among her other contributions... Dietrich’s contributions continued to be used as important markers in the taxonomy of some biological groups for well over a century... Amalie Dietrich was probably the first woman to earn a living as a collector of flora and fauna in Australia." [1]
The North Queensland Collection holds the book The hard road : the life story of Amalie Dietrich naturalist, 1821-1891 by Amalie Dietrich's daughter, Charitas Bischoff (both the German and English translations); and the biography A Woman in the Wilderness: the story of Amalie Dietrich in Australia, by Ray Sumner.
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| North Queensland Collection books on Amalie Dietrich. JCU Special Collections. |
Margaret Fountaine – Lepidopterist
Margaret Fountaine (1862–1940) was an English-born lepidopterist who spent decades travelling the world, collecting more than 22,000 butterflies. In 1914, Margaret, together with her Syrian-born companion - Khalil Neimy - came to Australia. Before long they were in Kuranda, north Queensland, where Margaret spent the next three years collecting rainforest butterflies. She visited the home of F.P. Dodd (who became known as 'The Butterfly Man of Kuranda'). Margaret was not in competition with Dodd – who made his living from displaying his butterflies at his home and charging visitors an entrance fee. Indeed, Dodd is said to have given Margaret some of his butterfly specimens, which suggests they were on friendly terms.
Fountaine’s diaries indicate that she not only collected and sold butterflies, but she also collected caterpillars to breed her own specimens. From these perfect specimens, Margaret produced watercolours, and her sketchbooks are held by the Natural History Museum in London. The level of respect for her work among fellow naturalists and entomologists is evidenced by her invitation to join the Linnean Society in 1912.
Margaret Fountaine bequeathed her collection of 22,000 butterflies to the Norwich Castle Museum. Among the collection are around 150 specimens of 23 different species from Queensland. Margaret is featured in the book Brilliant Careers: Women collectors and illustrators in Queensland (compiled by Judith McKay), in an entry written by G.B. Monteith. This book is part of the North Queensland Collection.
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| Lepidopterist Margaret Fountaine is featured in JCU Library Special Collections display: 'Female Titans of North Queensland'. |
Other women featured in our 'Female Titans' display include: Vera Scarth-Johnson, Sidnie Manton, Rowena Birkett, and Jean Devanny. Take some time to look at all the cabinets, and learn more about all the women featured. They’re all important contributors to our collective knowledge of the natural history of North Queensland.
For help in discovering and accessing items in the Library Special Collections, see the Library staff or email specialcollections@jcu.edu.au
[1] Creese, Mary R. S., and Thomas M. Creese. Ladies in the Laboratory III: South African, Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian Women in Science: Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries, Scarecrow Press, 2010.
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