Reference Request
Finding Aids to Personal Papers and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Record Unit 7430
Blake, S. F. (Sidney Fay), 1892-1959
Sydney Fay Blake Papers, 1909-1960
Historical Note
Sydney Fay Blake (1892-1959) was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts. He studied systematic botany at Harvard, receiving his B.A. in 1912, his M.A. in 1913, and his Ph.D. in Botany in 1917. He began work as a Botanist at the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1917 and worked there until his death. He published a number of botanical works and was writing the second volume of his Flora of the World at the time of his death.
Introduction
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
Descriptive Entry
This collection contains some of Blake's professional and personal correspondence. He corresponded with many botanists and herbarists concerning the identification, naming, and exchange of specimens. The collection also contains administrative correspondence concerning Blake's position at USDA and substantial correspondence with family and friends. Additional materials include Blake's salutatory address at Stoughton (Mass.) High School; the 1912 Harvard University Commencement Program; newspaper clippings; an account of Blake's trip to London during World War I; and photographs of Blake, his wife Doris Holmes Blake, and family and colleagues.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Blake, S. F. (Sidney Fay), 1892-1959
- United States. Bureau of Plant Industry
- United States. Department of Agriculture
- Harvard University
Subject
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7430, Sydney Fay Blake Papers