Teasing Tansley? A 'tremendus' caricature from the launch party for the Flora of the British Isles
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33928/bib.2023.05.259Keywords:
Arthur Tansley, history of ecology, humour, British floraAbstract
On the 24th March 1952 a celebratory luncheon was held to mark the publication of Clapham, Tutin and Warburg’s Flora of the British Isles. The cover of the menu shows a caricature of what appears to be the plant ecologist Arthur Tansley drawn as a tree, and labelled ‘supercilius tremendus’. Using this, and other lines of evidence (both written and interviews), we discuss how his colleagues viewed Tansley, and the role of humour in helping to cement groups of scientists.
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Copyright (c) 2023 David M Wilkinson, Laura Jean Cameron
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