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Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Andrey Avinoff

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Collected on this day in 1944

by Mason Heberling

illustration of a wildflower

Herbarium specimens are both an art and a science.  This fact is no more apparent than in the collaborations between Andrey Avinoff and Otto Jennings, which culminated in the 1953 book Wildflowers of Western Pennsylvania and the Upper Ohio Basin.

Jennings was a longtime curator of botany, professor at University of Pittsburgh, and served many roles at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (including director from 1945-1949).

Avinoff was a lepidopterist (studied butterflies) and artist, who was Director of the Carnegie Museum if Natural History from 1926-1945.

“Probably never again will there be two scholars, each a master in his own field, who can work together as did these two.” – Agnes L. Starrett

The book features a detailed, scientific manual describing plant species found in the region written by Jennings, along with 200 watercolor paintings of a subset of these species by Avinoff.  Jennings would travel across Western PA in search of the perfect specimen to return to the museum for Avinoff to paint while still fresh and unwithered.  Avinoff is said to have dropped everything he was doing upon Jennings’ return, and stay through the night to paint the flowers from still life.  Avinoff estimated that it took him about 1,600 hours to paint them all.

illustration of a wildflower next to a wildflower specimen

A. Avinoff, referring to his wildflower paintings: “These were my guiding principles: (1) accuracy in form and color; (2) portrayal of the individuality of the plant as to the character, position, arrangement, and venation of the leaves and the texture of their surfaces; (3) decorative arrangement, composition, and spacing; (4) strictly water color technique—only transparent pigment and no opaque colors, no whit paint anywhere, not a single stroke used in the high lights. The whit is the paper and all light parts are lighter washes of the pigment—thoroughbred aquarelle has been observed throughout.”

Some of these specimens were then pressed and remain in the Carnegie Museum’s herbarium today.  We know of 50 specimens that were used by Avinoff for his paintings.

illustration of a wildflower next to a wildflower specimen

This specimen of squarrose goldenrod (Solidago squarrosa) is one of those specimens.  It was collected by Otto Jennings on September 21, 1944 on a ledge along the river bluffs near Bell’s Landing, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.

Both of scientific and cultural value, this specimen has a rich history, much more than “just” dried plants on paper.  While we know the history behind this particular one, each specimen has an important scientific and cultural story to tell.

Botanists at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History share digital specimens from the herbarium on dates they were collected. They have embarked on a three-year project to digitize nearly 190,000 plant specimens collected in the region, making images and other data publicly available online. This effort is part of the Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis Project (mamdigitization.org), a network of thirteen herbaria spanning the densely populated urban corridor from Washington, D.C. to New York City to achieve a greater understanding of our urban areas, including the unique industrial and environmental history of the greater Pittsburgh region. This project is made possible by the National Science Foundation under grant no. 1801022.  

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Illustrations of Flora in Western Pennsylvania

illustration of flowers

In 1941, Carnegie Museum of Natural History Director Andrey Avinoff began an ambitious project with friend and Curator of Botany Otto E. Jennings.

They wanted to describe and illustrate the flora of western Pennsylvania, based on Jennings’s lifelong study of the region. Jennings and his colleagues brought in the living plants, fresh and unwithered. Avinoff worked quickly to capture accurately the color and manner of growth. Many of these specimens were then dried, pressed, and placed as vouchers in the herbarium.

Selected Avinoff reprints are available in the Museum Store for purchase for $25.

 

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Celebrating Carnegie History: Dr. Andrey Avinoff

butterfly and moth collection

Since Carnegie Museum of Natural History was founded in the late 1800s, it has been the home of an impressive group of alumni scientists who made great progress in their fields. One in this group who stands out is Dr. Andrey Avinoff, the director of the museum from 1926-1946.

Dr. Avinoff’s career began in Russia, where he studied geographical variation in moths and butterflies across different mountain ranges in Asia. He studied how smaller sub-ranges of the Himalayas led to the prevention of interbreeding in some species, but allowed it in others, depending on the geography and geology of the specific area. As he put it, “the study of variation divorced from geographical distribution is futile.”

Throughout his studies, he amassed a huge collection of specimens, but his collection was appropriated and held by the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

When he began his tenure at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Dr. Avinoff virtually replicated his moth and butterfly collection through financed expeditions and trades with other collectors.

Dr. Avinoff was also an avid artist; “I bow to scientific fact until 5 o’clock,” he said. In 1941, he brought his two passions together and began the ambitious project to collect, describe, and illustrate the flora of western Pennsylvania. Partnering with the curator of Botany at the time, Otto E. Jennings, living plants were found growing wild, then brought to the museum for Dr. Avinoff to capture in paint. When the specimens were no longer needed for painting, they were dried and pressed to be saved in the herbarium.

Dr. Avinoff’s paintings were published in the book Wildflowers of Western Pennsylvania and the Upper Ohio Basin, which was printed in 1953.

Throughout the month of September, Carnegie Museum of Natural History is celebrating Pittsburghers living longer and better through enriching cultural engagement. We will be reflecting on cool pieces of museum history on our blog and social media and offering a series of programming at the museum that will range from dancing to specialized tours, geared towards visitors who are 45 and older. Visit our website for more information and programming details.