Mar 2 2020
The NYBG herbarium has over two thousand specimens that are labeled as collected by Herbert H. Smith from Colombia, Brazil, and several islands in the Caribbean. Smith was a naturalist with an interest in conchology and a focus on the flora and fauna of Brazil. The specimen labels however are missing the name of the other collector on these expeditions, Smith's wife Daisy.
On October 5, 1880, Herbert H. Smith married Amelia “Daisy” Woolworth, who was also a naturalist. Daisy was noted for her excellent specimen preparation and skilled taxidermy. After marrying, the Smiths moved to Brazil where they began joint intensive natural history collection. From the time of their marriage, all of Herbert H. Smith’s collections were made in conjunction with his wife. Daisy took particular care to look out for her husband in the field because he was deaf. The naturalist, Henry Elwes, said that Daisy and Herbert were, “the two best collectors in the world.” This collaborative work, however, is not noted on any Herbert H. Smith’s specimen labels because of gender roles at the time. Daisy was Herbert’s unofficial collection partner; when Herbert received a salary to collect butterflies in Colombia, Daisy was paid nothing.
Their expeditions were challenging at times but they never stopped working. While collecting in Santa Marta, Colombia, sand flies attacked Herbert so badly that the skin peeled off his hands. During this time, Daisy came down with malaria. With his injured hands, Herbert paddled Daisy and their son through the rain to get help from the Sisters of Charity. While recovering, the Smiths mailed hundreds of butterflies back to the States.
In 1910, Herbert was hired as Curator of the Alabama Museum of Natural History. Daisy curated and managed the dispersal of important scientific specimens by Herbert’s side. Tragically in 1919, Herbert was walking along train tracks and did not hear a train coming, he was struck and killed. Daisy Smith replaced Herbert as Acting Curator, making her one of the few women to direct a natural history museum in the early twentieth century. Daisy oversaw her late husband's projects through to completion. Even as Curator, Daisy had scant public attention as an important contributor to natural history collections. It makes you wonder how many other people have been omitted from the collection records and never acknowledged for their hard work and expertise.
