The World's Columbian Exposition | Edward E. Ayer | Collectors and Collections, Private and Curatorial | Endowed Acquisition Funds | International Publication Exchange George Amos Dorsey (1868-1931), curator of anthropology from 1898 to 1915, was a formative influence in the study of the native cultures of the American Southwest. The Library received considerable materials through his active collecting in that field. Charles Frederick Millspaugh (1854-1923) was the first Curator and Chairman of the Museum's Botany Department, a position he held up to the time of his death. Millspaugh was a great builder of the Museum's herbarium and of the Library's collections in botany. His book collection came to the Library by bequest, strengthening many subject areas, especially in economic and medical botany. Included in his library were many presentation and other association copies of important works. Also included were important materials relating to publication of Millspaugh's classic American Medicinal Plants (New York and Philadelphia, 1884-1887). Among these materials are: a volume containing Millspaugh's original watercolor illustrations for the book, each accompanied by a proof print; Millspaugh's own copy of the work as originally issued; and over a hundred proof sheets of various portions of the text with extensive corrections in Millspaugh's hand. Continue