Nathaniel Wallich (1786 - 1854)

Wallich was the director of the Calcutta Botanic Gardens for over 30 years. He trained native plant collectors and sent them into parts of the Himalayas which were closed to Europeans. In doing so many hardy plants were introduced into England and are now grown in many gardens. He also trained native artists to make botanical drawings and one of these was Vishnu Prasadva who accompanied him on many journeys. “These Indian draughtsman’s images are so vivid and vigorous that they make most other botanical series look insipid by comparison”. Wilfred Hunt.