Nancy Adams: Botanist and artist

Biography of Nancy M. Adams

Nancy Adams was a botanist, botanical artist, and museum curator. Over the course of her life, she illustrated over 40 publications on Aotearoa New Zealand flora, many written by her. Her publications covered trees, plants, and flowers, but she eventually specialised in marine algae, helping to develop Te Papa’s seaweed collection.

Seaweed sisters

Aotearoa New Zealand’s extensive coastline is home to hugely diverse and luxuriant seaweed flora. Over the last 100 years, a significant number of women have contributed to the study of our macro-algae and showed a passion for the botanical world from an early age.

A watery wonderland

As a group of plants, macro-algae (or seaweeds) are little known and are often disregarded, but not by Nancy Adams.

Of the 3322 specimens she collected for Te Papa’s herbarium, over two thirds – 2285 – are algae.

Following a Botany Legend: exploring the life of Nancy Adams

As part of a summer research project, Lucia Adams and Annie Barnard have been working with Te Papa’s collection of Nancy Adams’ works, digitising botanical specimens, enriching catalogue records, and writing about her work and influence. They are taking a series of field trips to sites that were important in Nancy’s life and work. Here is the first in a series of blogs documenting these trips.

Nancy Adams and the art of seaweed; a conversation with Wendy Nelson, and a trip to Days Bay

In the second blog in this series Lucia Adams from Botany and Annie Barnard from Art visit more sites and interview people important in the professional life of Nancy Adams.

At Nancy Adams’ Desk: Juvenilia and wildflowers

As part of a summer research project, Lucia Adams from Botany and Annie Barnard from Art took a series of field trips to sites that were important in Nancy Adam’s life and work. Here is the third and final in a series of blogs documenting these trips.

Botanical collections and artworks by Nancy Adams

She collected 3,321 botanical specimens for the Te Papa herbarium, and identified a staggering 6,874 additional specimens in the collection. Te Papa also holds a vast collection of paintings and drawings by Nancy Adams, as well as field notebooks, photographs, and other archival material. Explore Nancy Adams’ entire catalogue on Collections Online.

Nancy Adams and Myosotis

As well as painting, drawing and describing New Zealand flora, Nancy Adams also collected and identified botanical specimens – including Myosotis (forget-me-not).

Nancy Adams, Wendy Nelson, and the Three Kings’ seaweeds

The Three Kings Islands are a hotspot for seaweed diversity – a fact recognised early on by Dominion Museum (Te Papa’s predecessor) Assistant Curator of Botany Nancy Adams.

Jigsaw: Forest Scene

Forest Scene, by Nancy Adams CBE. Purchased 2007.  CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (CA000888/027/0002)

Botany

Te Papa’s botanical collections and research encompass marine algae (seaweeds), lichens, mosses, liverworts, lycophytes, ferns, and seed plants.

Flora: Celebrating Our Botanical World

The magnificent plant world of Aotearoa New Zealand in art and object.