A curated collection of primary source images from the Library of Congress. Next week will mark the start of the course Planting Seeds, Sowing Knowledge: Introduction to Primary Sources through Botanical Illustration (July 11-15, On Campus being offered at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia as part of the Teaching with Primary Sources program. 

In this course, educators will connect with the digital collections of the Library of Congress as well as local primary source collections, and participate in studio art projects that consider the natural world of plants. We will look at botanical illustration in the service of many disciplines and subject areas, including medicine, exploration, science, agriculture, and design. Teaching with primary sources allows educators to design student-centered learning experiences focused on the development of critical skills and building content knowledge. Site visits include gardens, arboretums and libraries in the Philadelphia region. A teaching artist will lead botanical illustration projects in several media.

Content is appropriate to a range of subject areas, from art and design to social studies, science and technology.