E.R.P. Mushroom Milkcap (Lactarius)

Mushroom & Fungi Studies 1858–60

This watercolour forms part of a collection of mycology studies that we have for sale by the same hand. Taken together, they are a fascinating record of the early study of mushrooms and fungi in the woodlands of Britain in the mid-19th century. The infancy of the discipline meant that at this time it was the very amateurs who were the experts: devoting their time to observing and recording the infinite peculiarities of fungi in the field. Often, by extension, these amateurs could thereby be women, who were otherwise excluded from the serious scientific realm of botany.<p><p>The artist is unknown but this is clearly someone with a keen interest in mycology, not just copying illustrations but drawing and identifying specimens in the field. With locations in Malvern and Herefordshire, the artist was quite possibly a female member of what has been described as a 'vibrant sisterhood' of amateur mycologists in the Midlands that included Sarah Price (fl.1864) and M.F. Lewis (fl.1860–1902). (Women made up 53% of the subscriber list to Prices's book, Illustrations of the fungi of our fields and woods (1864–1865)).<p><p>Today mycology remains a relatively small and young discipline that has yet to achieve the institutional presence of similar disciplines such as botany and zoology. Only 6-8% of the world’s fungi have so far even been identified. The subject is, however, undergoing a cultural shift, with the growing recognition that fungi play a crucial role in our understanding of the planet and its future