John W. Taylor Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0465

Staff Only

The birds of the National Arboretum

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Content Description

The John W. Taylor Papers consists of Taylor's unpublished list of birds he observed at the U.S. National Arboretum in 1947. The list, entitled "The Birds of the National Arboretum," includes numbers of birds observed, handwritten descriptions, and hand-drawn illustrations by Taylor. The collection also contains Taylor's field notes from 1947 to 1950. In addition, there are photographs and information related to a pair of bald eagles that nested in a tree on the Arboretum grounds in 2015, believed to be the first nesting pair on the Arboretum site since the creation of Taylor's list in 1947.

Dates

Creation: 1947-1950

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

John W. (John William) Taylor (1931-) is a professional artist specializing in landscapes and wildlife, especially birds. He is a former editor of The Maryland Conservationist. He has won numerous honors and awards, including selection as the designer of the first Maryland waterfowl stamp in 1974. In 2015, U.S. National Arboretum officials honored Taylor for his work recording the bird life at the Arboretum, and placed his work in a permanent collection in the Special Collections of the USDA National Agricultural Library.

Total Size of Collection

1 boxes

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Custodial History

The list manuscript was previously housed at the library of the U.S. National Arboretum. It was transferred to Special Collections of the USDA National Agricultural Library in March 2015, and a digital copy was made. Taylor also contributed his 1947-1950 field notes to the collection at that time.