Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
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jessiewhchen.bsky.social
Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
@jessiewhchen.bsky.social
440 followers 310 following 78 posts
Historian of art, science, and knowledge. Postdoc #VisualizingTheUnknown, @huygensknaw.bsky.social. Also a maker.

https://jessieweihsuanchen.com/
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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 5d
Join us in The Hague on 3 December for my book presentation! 🌷🌻🌵

Look forward to sharing some findings, an exciting panel on practical knowledge with amazing colleagues, and a pop-up show on reconstructions/creative works from the project.

Register: tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/D...

See you there! 🌺
Flyer for the book presentation, with the text reads as the following. Left-hand side: Book Presentation, 3 December 2025, KB, National Library, Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5, The Hague Right-hand side: Programme 14:00 Walk-in 14:30 Welcome and opening, Esther van Gelder (KB, nationale bibliotheek), Editors of series Emergence of Natural History and De Gruyter Brill. 14:50 Book presentation, Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW). 15:10 Gifting of physical copies 15:15 Panel discussion: State of the field(s) and practical knowledge Moderator: Marieke Hendriksen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW) Panelists: Marlise Rijks (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Sietske Fransen (Bibliotheca Hertziana/Max Planck Institute), Trude Dijkstra (Universiteit van Amsterdam), Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW). 16:00 Introduction to pop-up show. Display of reconstructions and creative projects related to the book. 16:15 Drinks / Borrel, Opportunity to see the pop-up show and book table featuring volumes from the Emergence of Natural History series. 17:00 End of event Free admission with limited space. Please register at https://tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/Details/Book-presentation- Everlasting-Flower-Between-the-Pages--3-dec-134063. Link to book: https://brill.com/display/title/70483 Photograph of almost two hundred sheets of paper with dots painted with many colours. Photograph of an arrangement of, in clockwise order, a colour sample book, a watercolour of a tulip bouquet on paper, an album of monochromatic flower pictures, and a watercolour on parchment that shows several kinds of colourful flowers and the used colour palette on a separate piece of parchment. Photograph of an arrangement of objects, including a box, two trays from the box, the spread of colour swatches from one of the volumes in the collection, colour tests from the process book, and a watercolour of two purple autumn crocuses displayed on a book stand.
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
Join us in The Hague on 3 December for my book presentation! 🌷🌻🌵

Look forward to sharing some findings, an exciting panel on practical knowledge with amazing colleagues, and a pop-up show on reconstructions/creative works from the project.

Register: tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/D...

See you there! 🌺
Flyer for the book presentation, with the text reads as the following. Left-hand side: Book Presentation, 3 December 2025, KB, National Library, Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5, The Hague Right-hand side: Programme 14:00 Walk-in 14:30 Welcome and opening, Esther van Gelder (KB, nationale bibliotheek), Editors of series Emergence of Natural History and De Gruyter Brill. 14:50 Book presentation, Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW). 15:10 Gifting of physical copies 15:15 Panel discussion: State of the field(s) and practical knowledge Moderator: Marieke Hendriksen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW) Panelists: Marlise Rijks (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Sietske Fransen (Bibliotheca Hertziana/Max Planck Institute), Trude Dijkstra (Universiteit van Amsterdam), Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW). 16:00 Introduction to pop-up show. Display of reconstructions and creative projects related to the book. 16:15 Drinks / Borrel, Opportunity to see the pop-up show and book table featuring volumes from the Emergence of Natural History series. 17:00 End of event Free admission with limited space. Please register at https://tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/Details/Book-presentation- Everlasting-Flower-Between-the-Pages--3-dec-134063. Link to book: https://brill.com/display/title/70483 Photograph of almost two hundred sheets of paper with dots painted with many colours. Photograph of an arrangement of, in clockwise order, a colour sample book, a watercolour of a tulip bouquet on paper, an album of monochromatic flower pictures, and a watercolour on parchment that shows several kinds of colourful flowers and the used colour palette on a separate piece of parchment. Photograph of an arrangement of objects, including a box, two trays from the box, the spread of colour swatches from one of the volumes in the collection, colour tests from the process book, and a watercolour of two purple autumn crocuses displayed on a book stand.
November 18, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
degruyterbrill.bsky.social
🎁 It's that time of year – the holidays are just around the corner! Whether you're looking for gifts or want to treat yourself, take advantage of our #HolidaySale and get 40% off our #books and #eBooks! Offer valid through Dec 11.

Start browsing now: 🔗 marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_Sale_EN?...
November 17, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
fabribald.bsky.social
My special issue on gardens and plants as laboratories of premodern science is out on @royalsocietypublishing.org #notesandrecords #nrrs #histplants #histsci #vegscilif #envhist with articles by me, Luzzini on minerals, @johedesan.bsky.social on Guy de La Brosse, Jalobeanu on Bacon, and Benharrech🌱
November 17, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
fabribald.bsky.social
wrapping my presentation for this beautiful seminar at @bhmpi.bsky.social on Thursday morning (Rome time)🌿
#plantstudies #botany #premodernscience #histsci #arthistory 🌱

Do images have an epistemic role in botanical science?
November 4, 2025 at 2:47 PM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
Join us in Rome or online for a seminar on plant illustrations on 6 November! 🪴🌻🌿

Through images of mandrakes and ferns, @fabribald.bsky.social and I will be discussing issues in the role of images in early modern botany.

www.biblhertz.it/events/43483...
The Role of Images in Early Modern Botany
This seminar brings together two experts on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century plants. Zooming in on the dilemma of visualizing plants (or not), and how images could become part of epistemic methods w...
www.biblhertz.it
October 20, 2025 at 10:02 AM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
Printed copies of Everlasting Flowers are gorgeous! But the digital version is #openaccess for anyone to read: brill.com/display/titl....

A book presentation takes place at the KB in The Hague on 3 December. You are warmly invited! To register: tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/D...

Please share!
Printed copies of the book, with one copy open to pages 196 and 197, and the two that are stacked showing the cover. Flyer for the book presentation, with the text reads as the following. Left-hand side: Book Presentation, 3 December 2025, KB, National Library, Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5, The Hague Right-hand side: Programme 14:00 Walk-in 14:30 Welcome and opening, Esther van Gelder (KB, nationale bibliotheek), Editors of series Emergence of Natural History and De Gruyter Brill. 14:50 Book presentation, Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW). 15:10 Gifting of physical copies 15:15 Panel discussion: State of the field(s) and practical knowledge Moderator: Marieke Hendriksen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW) Panelists: Marlise Rijks (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Sietske Fransen (Bibliotheca Hertziana/Max Planck Institute), Trude Dijkstra (Universiteit van Amsterdam), Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW). 16:00 Introduction to pop-up show. Display of reconstructions and creative projects related to the book. 16:15 Drinks / Borrel, Opportunity to see the pop-up show and book table featuring volumes from the Emergence of Natural History series. 17:00 End of event Free admission with limited space. Please register at https://tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/Details/Book-presentation- Everlasting-Flower-Between-the-Pages--3-dec-134063. Link to book: https://brill.com/display/title/70483
September 24, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
dgb-mem.bsky.social
As autumn sets in, take a look at flowers that bloom forever
🌸🍂
In this new illustrated #openaccess book @jessiewhchen.bsky.social approaches 17th-c. florilegia as material objects reflecting the diverse plant knowledge of gardeners, compilers & image-makers!

brill.com/display/titl...

#EarlyModern
Book cover with a dark green floral patterned background. Title: “Everlasting Flowers between the Pages: The Making of Seventeenth-Century Florilegia” by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen, published by Brill in the series “Emergence of Natural History 9.” The cover illustration shows several varieties of red and pink anemones, taken from Franciscus de Geest’s Jardin de rares et curieux fleurs, second half of the seventeenth century (Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, VA).
September 23, 2025 at 11:33 AM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
Surprise publication day! Earlier than anticipated, you can now read my #firstbook (digital version in #openaccess) or order a printed copy through the link. Official announcement and info on book presentation event coming soon!

brill.com/display/titl...

#NatHist, #HistNatHist, #flowers
Everlasting Flowers between the Pages
"Everlasting Flowers between the Pages" published on 28 Aug 2025 by Brill.
brill.com
September 1, 2025 at 12:41 PM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
I found a unique lampworking workshop where I learned how to make mung bean sprouts when visiting family in Taiwan last month. These are not skilled glasswork, but I have made my first models of economic botany of some sort! With a bonus clear sprout for further experimentation with glass painting.
Photo of the author pulling a cane from a white glass rod in front of a torch. Photo of five pieces of mung bean sprouts made of glass. One is in clear glass, two have translucent white stems and light yellow embryos, and two have translucent white stems and green embryos.
August 26, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
linneansociety.bsky.social
June's Treasure of the Month is our new digitised collections - Linnean Online.

The platform makes images of our herbaria, specimen and manuscript collections available for researchers around the world. It will also allow us to grow this important resource in the future.

Read more: buff.ly/8E3OiOT
The Linnean Online entry 'Cassia glauca' part of the Buchanan-Hamilton Drawings collection. It shows a drawing of yellow flowers on a stem with small, light green leaves and a single pea pod, with metadata on the left-hand side. The Linnean Online entry 'Papilio menelaus' part of the Insect specimen collection. It shows a blue butterfly, with metadata on the left-hand side. The Linnean Online entry 'Artocarpus incisus' part of the Anderson Manuscripts collection. It shows a Triangular shaped tree with a man in blue shorts sitting in a relaxed posture underneath, with metadata on the left-hand side.
June 25, 2025 at 11:02 AM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
Back to the #MuseumBoerhaave to work with two rare compound microscopes from the 17th-c., one made by Giuseppe Campani and another attributed to John Marshall as the maker. So many new thoughts emerged from observing how colors and form changed under the lenses. #VisualizingTheUnknown #histsci
Photo with a microscope attributed to John Marshall as the maker in the front and a microscope made by Giuseppe Campani in the back. A tiny slice of a dandelion stem under on a petri dish under the lens. Magnified view of the dandelion stem slice when it was hydrated, showing vibrant greens in coloration. Magnified view of the dandelion stem slice when it was almost dried, becoming more shriveled in form and brown in coloration.
June 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
flannerm.bsky.social
Post from Herbarium World on #coffee and #Planthumanities herbariumworld.wordpress.com/2025/06/16/c... @dumbartonoaks.bsky.social‬
Coffee in Washington, DC
Engraving of Coffea arabica by John Miller, 1774. Wellcome Collection. As I mentioned in the last post, I spent a day in March at Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Library and met with several people inter…
herbariumworld.wordpress.com
June 19, 2025 at 9:26 PM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
I visited Harvard Uni. the past two weeks. A major event was giving a workshop for the Summer Institute for Technical Studies in Art @ Art Museums. For the theme Experiment, I showed how I incorporate historical reconstruction/hands-on research in my past/present projects & the related experiments.
A slide showing, on the top half, a photo of an arrangement of art materials and images made in several mediums, and, on the bottom half, the title of the presentation, "Experimenting with Historical Reconstruction".
June 18, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
huygensknaw.bsky.social
Next week: in the final session of the Historical Food Preservation Lecture Series, @preservare.bsky.social. PhD candidates @thijselfrink.bsky.social and Tijmen Moesker will discuss brining, pickling, and smoking.
📅 June 24, 15:30-17:00 (Amst) 🌐 Online👉 buff.ly/VlbeNIz
@mariekehendriksen.bsky.social
June 18, 2025 at 9:02 AM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
Looking forward to sharing some work-in-progress of my new research at the Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries! Feel free to join us if you are in the Cambridge/Boston, MA, area.
HUH Seminar - Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen | Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries
www.huh.harvard.edu
June 3, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
linneansociety.bsky.social
Browse preserved plant specimen collections to travel through history, exploring millennia of botanical experience.

Herbaria may look like “plant mummies,” but they’re full of life and meaning. Join us this Thursday at 6pm to hear Maura Flannery share why they matter.

Book here: bit.ly/3RZDUhy
May 12, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
rensbod.bsky.social
Are you interested in the entangled history of humanities and science?

Then join us at the Vossius Center of the University of Amsterdam.

Applications for fellowships in 2026 are now open.

Deadline: 1 June 2025

vossius.uva.nl/shared/subsi...
Vossius Fund for Research Fellows 2026 open for applications - Vossius Center for the History of Humanities and Sciences
The Vossius Center offers funding for Research Fellows. The next deadline is 1 June 2025 for fellowships in 2026.
vossius.uva.nl
February 3, 2025 at 10:06 PM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
@l-teixeiracosta.bsky.social & I are excited to see many have signed up. There are still seats left, so register if you would like to join us for the #PlantHumanities Colloquium at @meertens-knaw.bsky.social / @huygensknaw.bsky.social, or online!

Register through forms.office.com/e/YUJEB4GzuE.
Banner image for the Plant Humanities KNAW-Huc, featuring an orange daylily in front of a green background. Poster for the Plant Humanities KNAW-HuC. Description on the poster: Plant Humanities has emerged as a convergence point for multiple disciplines interested in the connections between plants and people. Such convergence has the potential to address important questions of today, such as climate change, biodiversity decline, and decolonization of knowledge. This colloquium brings together researchers in Plant Humanities in the Netherlands to showcase the many ways in which people have related to plants in the past and present. Program: 10:15–10:30, Check-in and Coffee; 10:30–11:00, Welcome and Short Introduction; 11:00–11:30, Becoming Global? Practices of Collecting, Naming and Exchanging Seeds in Early Modern Botany by Melinda Susanto (Huygens Instituut / KNAW); 11:30–12:00, Plants that Adorn and Construct Social Bodies: Body Ornaments in the Amazon Region by Caroline Fernandes Caromano (Naturalis Biodiversity Center), 12:00–13:30, Lunch; 13:30–14:00, Wild Tulips in Historical Dutch Gardens: Where Do They Come From? by Anastasia Stefanaki (Utrecht University Botanic Gardens); 14:00–14:30, Picturing and Representing Plants in the Past: Materials, Techniques, and Artisanal Knowledge by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut / KNAW); 14:30–15:00, Plants, People, and Cities: From Sao Paulo, Brazil to Amsterdam, Netherlands by Luiza Teixeira-Costa (Meertens Instituut / KNAW); 15:00–16:00, Discussion and moving forward; 16:00–17:00, Drinks. Additional info: Seats are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis; Register before 9 May to receive the link to the live streaming; This event will not be recorded.
May 1, 2025 at 1:27 PM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
@sietskefransen.bsky.social neemt deze week de account @historicivertellen.bsky.social over. Zij vertelde gisteren iets over onze #VisualizingTheUnknown project. Kijk eens!
historicivertellen.bsky.social Historici vertellen @historicivertellen.bsky.social · Apr 30
Goedemorgen allemaal. Voor de luikenfans heb ik de gehele luiken op de foto gezet, open en dicht, en twee (details van) mijn favoriete deuren in Palazzo Stroganoff, het derde deel van de aan elkaar gebouwde panden waarin het instituut huist.
Dichte hoge witgeverfde luiken. Open luiken met zich op pand aan de overkant Deur naar mijn werkkamer, met fijn houtwerk. Berenhoofd in hout, op een deur in Palazzo Stroganoff
May 1, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
histofgdlsem.bsky.social
We are delighted to announce our programme for the Spring/Summer term 2025. Our first seminar will be Ian Mell's paper 'Motifs, Policies, and Functions in East and Southeast Asia: "green space" as a travelling concept', on 1st May 2025: @ihr.bsky.social
www.history.ac.uk/events/motif...
Motifs, policies, and functions in East and Southeast Asia: "green space" as a travelling concept
www.history.ac.uk
April 25, 2025 at 12:16 PM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
The Biodiversity Heritage Library has been a really important resource for my research! Thank you the Smithsonian for hosting this vital site for the past 20 years and hope that the BHL can find a new home soon. #ILoveBHL #OpenAccess
biodivlibrary.bsky.social Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · Apr 22
Change is in the air for BHL! In 2026, BHL hosting will transition away from the Smithsonian, opening doors to reimagine our future. Rest assured, our 63 million pages of biodiversity knowledge remain secure and accessible.
Learn what's next for BHL ➡️
A New Future for the Biodiversity Heritage Library
The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. A global consortium of over 660 contributors, BHL has made more …
blog.biodiversitylibrary.org
April 25, 2025 at 9:04 AM
jessiewhchen.bsky.social
Want to learn more about the exciting research in #PlantHumanities in the Netherlands? Then join us on 13 May at the Spinhuis in Amsterdam or online!

Register through forms.office.com/e/YUJEB4GzuE before 9 May. Please share!
Poster for the Plant Humanities KNAW-HuC. Description on the poster: Plant Humanities has emerged as a convergence point for multiple disciplines interested in the connections between plants and people. Such convergence has the potential to address important questions of today, such as climate change, biodiversity decline, and decolonization of knowledge. This colloquium brings together researchers in Plant Humanities in the Netherlands to showcase the many ways in which people have related to plants in the past and present. Program: 10:15–10:30, Check-in and Coffee; 10:30–11:00, Welcome and Short Introduction; 11:00–11:30, Becoming Global? Practices of Collecting, Naming and Exchanging Seeds in Early Modern Botany by Melinda Susanto (Huygens Instituut / KNAW); 11:30–12:00, Plants that Adorn and Construct Social Bodies: Body Ornaments in the Amazon Region by Caroline Fernandes Caromano (Naturalis Biodiversity Center), 12:00–13:30, Lunch; 13:30–14:00, Wild Tulips in Historical Dutch Gardens: Where Do They Come From? by Anastasia Stefanaki (Utrecht University Botanic Gardens); 14:00–14:30, Picturing and Representing Plants in the Past: Materials, Techniques, and Artisanal Knowledge by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut / KNAW); 14:30–15:00, Plants, People, and Cities: From Sao Paulo, Brazil to Amsterdam, Netherlands by Luiza Teixeira-Costa (Meertens Instituut / KNAW); 15:00–16:00, Discussion and moving forward; 16:00–17:00, Drinks. Additional info: Seats are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis; Register before 9 May to receive the link to the live streaming; This event will not be recorded.
April 24, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
flannerm.bsky.social
I am very thrilled and very intimidated to be speaking at the Linnean Society!
linneansociety.bsky.social The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · Apr 18
Herbaria are collections of preserved plants, and have been called “plant mummies” as specimens usually turn brown, looking somewhat unappealing.

Join us at the Linnean Society on 15 May to hear from Maura Flannery about the many reasons herbaria are worth keeping.

www.eventbrite.co.uk...
Plant Specimens Aren’t Flat | The Many Dimensions of Herbaria
Browsing preserved plant specimen collections to travel through history, and explore millennia of botanical experience.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
April 18, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
dominikhhh.bsky.social
Our „Emergence of Natural History“ series @degruyterbrill.bsky.social is growing! The latest volume was just published: Pieter van Wingerden's fascinating account of "The Natuurkundige Commissie in the Netherlands Indies (1820–1850)."
Please get in touch if you have a #HistNatHist book proposal.
The <i>Natuurkundige Commissie</i> in the Netherlands Indies (1820–1850)
"The <i>Natuurkundige Commissie</i> in the Netherlands Indies (1820–1850)" published on 14 Apr 2025 by Brill.
brill.com
April 17, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen
erikagaffney.bsky.social
Congratulations to the editor of & contributors to

Epistemic Practices & Plant Classification in Pre-Modern Botanical Knowledge: An Interdisciplinary Treatment
Edited by @fabribald.bsky.social
www.aup.nl/en/book/9789...

It appears in the @amsterdamupress.bsky social series Scientiae Studies.
Epistemic Practices and Plant Classification in Premodern European Botanical Knowledge
This volume aims to uncover the diverse approach to plants in the Renaissance and seventeenth century that paved the way for a definition of botany as a fully-fledged discipline. Its scope expands bey...
www.aup.nl
April 11, 2025 at 12:10 AM