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New image collection: Historic Fruit

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January 26, 2021

Have you ever heard of the Pomme Rose, the Enkelde Griet and the Frontignac pear? These are examples of old apple and pear varieties from the famous book by Johann Hermann Knoop, Pomologia (1758). The engraved and hand-coloured drawings and texts from the book have been added to the WUR Image Collections.

Pomologia by J.H. Knoop

The engraved and handcoloured drawings on European apple and pear varieties in the collection 'Historic Fruit' were made by Johann Hermann Knoop. The drawings were published in the book Pomologia (1758). The full title is 'Pomologia, dat is beschryvingen en afbeeldingen van de beste soorten van appels en peeren, welke in Neder- en Hoog-Duitsland, Frankryk, Engeland en elders geagt zyn, en tot dien einde gecultiveert worden'. The second edition of this book, published in 1763, is also held by Wageningen University and Research Special Collections.

Apple and pear varieties

The development of new plant varieties has historically been an important topic in research and education at WUR. Johann Hermann Knoop was the first to research on apple varieties. He published several books on apples, pears and other fruits. Pomologia is the first Knoop book that is available in the collection Historic Fruit.

Watercolours from H. Ramaer (1874-1958) and paintings by Prof. A.M. Sprenger (1881-1958) can also be found in this collection. Ab Sprenger was a horticulture professor in Wageningen from 1905-1917.

Examples from the collection Historic Fruit

Pomologia image no. 9
Pomologia image no. 9
Pomologia image no.5
Pomologia image no.5
Pomologia pears, image no. 1
Pomologia pears, image no. 1
A.M. Sprenger, Sweet orange. Apples on a copper bowl
A.M. Sprenger, Sweet orange. Apples on a copper bowl
H. Ramaer, Sucree de Montlucon, 1905.
H. Ramaer, Sucree de Montlucon, 1905.