Nathaniel Wallich

Nathaniel Wallich was born in Copenhagen in 1806. A renowned physician, botanist, and plant explorer, Wallich travelled throughout Nepal, Western Hindustan, Ava and Lower Burma in search of exotic flora and fauna. In 1814, he was the driving influence behind the Asiatic Society's foundation of the Oriental Museum of the Asiatic Society (now known as the Indian Museum in Calcutta), to which he offered both his services and a number of items from his own collections. Later that year, he became the Honorary Curator and then Superintendent of the museum. It is now one of the oldest museums in India. Wallich was an avid collector of plants and catalogued over 20,000 specimens. He was responsible for introducing numerous Himalayan plant specimens to Europe, often devising ingenious transport methods. In 1821, Wallich discovered the Giant Himalayan Lily and assisted its introduction into Europe in 1852. In 1817, he was appointed Superintendent of the East India Company's Botanical Garden at Calcultta and with their patronage, he published two major works on the plants of the region, Tentamen Flora Nepalensis Illustratae (1824-26) and Plantae Asiaticae Rariories (1830-32). For the latter publication, he drew on both his own collection and specimens supplied by contacts such as Sir Stamford Raffles. In the production of original drawings, he employed artists including Vishnupersaud (or Vishnu Prasad) and Gorachand (or Gorchand). Nathaniel Wallich died on on 28 April 1854.