Imprinted: Views of the Landscape from the Archives of The Morton Arboretum is an exhibit of objects and images from the Sterling Morton Library’s collection covering the first 100 years of The Morton Arboretum’s development. Maps, photographs, drawings, and documents offer an engaging look at the Arboretum’s changing landscape over the last century.
Detailed botanical drawings from the Library’s special collections describe trees and plants common to the area before the Arboretum was established, and examine the land’s use for harvesting, hunting, and trade for the Indigenous peoples who originally inhabited the area.
Visitors can read historical documents and letters from Arboretum founder Joy Morton that discuss the importance of establishing an arboretum to protect the often underappreciated natural areas of the Chicago region. Visitors may be surprised to learn that many features of today’s Arboretum, like the Acorn Express tram tours and the Herbarium, originated in the early days of the institution.
The exhibit also showcases photographs of staff and volunteers engaged in conservation, scientific research, and landscape restoration initiatives undertaken in recent years at the Arboretum.
You can see Imprinted in the Sterling Morton Library from Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
