This travelling writing case belonged to Thomas Frederick Cheeseman. A keen botanist, he was the first director of the Auckland Institute and Museum - from 1874 until his death in 1923. He travelled the length and breadth of New Zealand, collecting and recording plants, and observing the geographical terrain.
![Botanist (and Museum director) Thomas Cheeseman kept the tools of his trade - a pocket knife, ruler and magnifying lens - in the drawer of his travelling writing desk.]()
Botanist (and Museum director) Thomas Cheeseman kept the tools of his trade - a pocket knife, ruler and magnifying lens - in the drawer of his travelling writing desk.
Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. 2002x1.24.
A published author
During his career, Cheeseman described three plant genera, some 140 species, 67 varieties and one forma. A genus and 29 plant species from New Zealand and the Cook Islands were named after him. At the request of the New Zealand government, Cheeseman began his magnum opus, Manual of the New Zealand flora, which was first published in 1906. In 1914 he edited the two-volume work Illustrations of the New Zealand flora. Cheeseman also published important papers on subantarctic flora.
![Thomas Cheeseman\u0027s travelling writing desk sits on a large table in his office at Auckland Museum in its former premises on Princes St in January 1928.]()
Thomas Cheeseman's travelling writing desk sits on a large table in his office at Auckland Museum in its former premises on Princes St in January 1928.
Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. PH-NEG-14821.
Tools of the trade
On his trip to the Craigieburn Range, South Island in 1880, he lugged this writing case to his lodgings in Arthur's Pass. He would have recorded the day's findings, then tucked them safely away under lock and key. He kept the tools of his trade - a pocket knife, ruler and magnifying lens - inside the drawer.
Notes from the field
In an excerpt from Thomas Cheeseman's field notebook, Canterbury Alps 1880, Broken River to Arthur's Pass, the botanist describes his descent down the steep terrain of Craigieburn Valley. Not given to detailed or florid descriptions, Cheeseman gives a brief description of Mt Rolleston. At the time of his sighting in 1880, the 2271-metre peak in the Southern Alps was renowned for its two glaciers, which could be clearly seen from the town of Arthur's Pass.
We crossed a low saddle into the Craigieburn Valley down which we went by a steep and rapid descent. It was nearly dark when we reached the bottom … Emerging from the Bealey Valley, we reach Arthur's Pass - Mt Rolleston in the south side and Mt Williams in the north. Two little glaciers could be seen in the face of Mt Rolleston …
Today those glaciers are mere blimps on the face of Mt Rolleston, an intriguing comparison for scientists looking for clues on global warming. The first ascent on this prominent peak was made 32 years after Cheeseman passed through the valley.
Further reading
Rayner, M. (2015). Thomas Cheeseman's window into Auckland's biological past. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira.
Cite this article
MacFarlane, Kirsten.
Thomas Cheeseman's travelling writing case. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 20 November 2015. Updated: 12 November 2019.
URL: www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/thomas-cheesemans-travelling-writing-case
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Thomas Frederick Cheeseman - Papers and botanical notebooks, 1867 - 1923
Description: The T.F. Cheeseman papers and botanical notebooks comprise 96 folders of mostly inward correspondence (to Cheeseman), covering a period from 1867 to 1923, and 73 volumes, the majority of which are Cheeseman’s field notebooks, covering a period from 1869 to 1895. The notebook collection, which is arranged in a numbered sequence of volumes 1 through 71, covers botanical collecting and research in both the North and South Islands as well as offshore islands (Kermadec Islands, Little Barrier Island) and further into the Pacific (Rarotonga). The collection inventory itemises the places visited and records many of the known dates. Some notebooks feature several collecting areas covering one or multiple period(s) of time. Cheeseman himself appears to have affixed his own title labels to many of the covers. Each volume is numbered on the spine using white ink. The earliest field notebook relates to Cheeseman’s plant collecting in the Auckland area from 1869 to 1873. The remainder concern a series of field collecting trips from 1872 to 1895. The trips lasted from several days to nearly several months. Thirteen of the notebooks (Vols. 2, 5, 12 - 15, 17, 18, 20 - 23, 32 and 41) contain some form of dated entries. In addition to the material concerning Cheeseman’s botanical work, there is also a small but significant amount of mixed material that is both personal and general. Please see collection inventory attached to this record for further details.
Collection: DOCUMENTARY HERITAGEDescription: The T.F. Cheeseman papers and botanical notebooks comprise 96 folders of mostly inward correspondence (to Cheeseman), covering a period from 1867 to 1923, and 73 volumes, the…