Illustrator
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Before 1966 the few trained or experienced scientific
illustrators working in the United States had little or no contact with one
another, even at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where there was
a concentration of scientific illustrators. Each stayed in a corner of the
National Museum of Natural History, often not knowing other illustrators in the
same building. This situation still exists in some other museums. Carolyn Bartlett
Gast, Smithsonian scientific illustrator for both Departments of Vertebrate and
Invertebrate Zoology at the time, decided to remedy the situation. She
organized a series of luncheons featuring speakers on topics relevant to
scientific illustration such as printing or exhibits preparation. Elaine R.
Snyder Hodges, then a contract illustrator of crustacea, typed and distributed
notices of the meetings to the twenty or so scientific and medical illustrators
that could be found in the Washington, DC area. More and more illustrators
heard about and attended the luncheons. A need had been identified.
Carolyn had been interested in
the medieval development of Guilds for professions and suggested that a Guild
be established for scientific illustration. On September 17, 1968, a meeting of
illustrators was held to discuss such an organization. Lawrence B. Isham,
scientific illustrator for the Smithsonian Department of Paleobiology, agreed
to write a first draft of a Constitution. The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
was born on December 2, 1968, following the adoption of the document (with
changes made by a committee composed of Jack R. Schroeder, Carolyn Gast, Naida
Page, Marsha E. Jessup, Peter Stone, Art Cushman, and Larry Isham). There were
twenty-one charter members.
Monthly meetings with featured
speakers began at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Smithsonian's National Museum of
Natural History. First officers were President: Larry Isham; Vice President:
Elsie Herbold Froeschner (Smithsonian Department of Entomology); Treasurer:
Peter Stone (Georgetown University Medical School); Recording Secretary: Naida
Page (Howard University Medical School); Corresponding Secretary: Elaine Hodges
(South East Asia Mosquito Project, Walter Reed and Smithsonian); and Executive
Committee (now the Board of Directors): Arthur Cushman (USDA Systematic
Entomology Laboratory), Carolyn Gast (Smithsonian Department of Invertebrate
Zoology), and Jack Schroeder (freelance scientific illustrator, Chestertown,
MD). Thelma Ford Smith was the first historian. Carolyn set up the Guild's post
office box at Ben Franklin Station, Washington, DC, 20044. Dues were $5.00 per
year. Membership burgeoned by word of mouth from the original twenty-one
members in Washington, DC, to over 1,100 members in fifteen countries around
the world by our anniversary in 1993.
Threaded through the history
of the Guild has been the support of the National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institution. Meeting space has been generously provided. In September,
1969, the Museum helped host the first exhibit of scientific illustration,
providing a room for technique demonstrations, and a reception. Since then
several exhibits of scientific illustration have been held at the Museum,
including two permanent exhibits installed in 1988 and 1996. In June of 1986
the Smithsonian co-hosted the Guild's annual meeting with George Washington
University and again in 1996.So,have fun with Illustrator..........................
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