The Economic Botany collection had its origin in the World Columbian Exposition of 1893, and was especially enriched by gifts from the national exhibits of British Guiana, the Philippines, Japan, Brazil, Burma and India. Specimens also were acquired from the Paris Exposition (1901), the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904), and the Panama-Pacific Exposition (1915), as well as numerous Field Museum sponsored expeditions. The collection was recently enhanced by the acquisition of more than 2,000 pharmaceutical specimens from the College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago. The Economic Botany collection, of more than 12,000 specimens, uniquely represents plant products and artifacts that complement the Museum's more traditional herbarium collections. Comprehensive collections of economic plant materials are rare and the collection at Field Museum is rivaled by few institutions in the world. Other Botany Collections: Botany Herbarium | Fungi | Lichens | Algae | Bryophytes | Pteridophytes | Gymnosperms | Flowering Plants | Timothy C. Plowman Economic Botany Collection | Type Photograph Collection