Accession No
5353
Brief Description
papier-mâché botanical model of a pea plant, by Louis Thomas Jérôme Auzoux, French, 19th Century
Origin
France; Saint-Aubin-d'Écrosville [attributed]
Maker
Auzoux, Louis Thomas Jérôme
Class
biology; demonstration
Earliest Date
1800
Latest Date
1900
Inscription Date
Material
metal (steel); paper (papier mâché, card)
Dimensions
height 760mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Piasa Auction House, 5 Rue Drouot, 75009 Paris, France, on 22/10/1998.
Inscription
Description Notes
Papier mâché botanical model of a pea plant, by Auzoux, French, 19th century.
The pea plant has one main central stalk on which leaves and a young pea pod are present. Two smaller secondary stalks have tendrils for the plants climbing purposes. The plant is made of cardboard possibly covered with papier mâche layers. The tendrils are paper covered wire. Its construction, visually, suggests a square tube. At the top of the central stem is a hole for attaching further pea plant pieces - a flower perhaps.
References
Events
Description
The Pea Plant model was produced by Louis Thomas Jérôme Auzoux (1797–1880) as a teaching and reference model for botany students. Institutions, such as Cornell University and Mount Holyoke in the United States, purchased models such as these to demonstrate their ability to compete against established teaching programmes and to circumvent traditional modes of acquiring botanical knowledge. As a medical student in Paris, Auzoux developed a special papier-mâché mixture (containing cork and clay as well as paper and glue) in order to produce anatomical models that could be taken apart piece by piece. The Pea Plant model is made of cardboard covered with this papier-mâché mixture. With financial support from the French state, Auzoux founded a factory for producing anatomical models in his small hometown of St. Aubin d'Ecrosville. His business eventually became a commercial success, as his clastic models were used by schools, universities and hospitals, as well as by private individuals who could rent items at low costs. Responding to changing trends in scientific research and education, the company expanded to include examples of animals and plants.
05/11/2013
Created by: Allison Ksiazkiewicz on 05/11/2013
FM:45691
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