iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Thankful that the Dutch Research Council granted my project "Creating Green Worlds: Constructing Horticultural Knowledge and Expertise in the Dutch Republic (1600–1800).” I look forward to starting the 3-year research and joining @uvahumanities.bsky.social in 2027.

uva.nl

Veni grants for 28 UvA and Amsterdam UMC researchers

NWO has awarded Veni grants to 28 talented researchers at the UvA and Amsterdam UMC (location AMC).

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Had an amazing time at the #ESHS-HSS! So many great papers, discussions, and conversations! Tiemen Cocquyt, @sietskefransen.bsky.social & I presented the several research from the #visualizingtheunknown project. I also found my book "in the wild" for the first time!

Tiemen Cocquyt next to a slide for his talk entitled "The Seventeenth-Century Microscope and Observation Practices."

Sietske Fransen next to a slide for her talk entitled "Clarification through Representation – Images in Early Modern Microscopy."

Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen next to a slide for her talk entitled "Picturing the “Round Globules”: Visualizing Microscopic Observations of Ferns in Early Modern Europe."

Jessie holding a copy of her monograph "Everlasting Flowers between the Pages."

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

Carl Joseph @carljoseph.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Wonderful presentation on “Visualising the Unknown” where the presenters shared their experiences using original early microscopes, and explored the relationship between seeing & representing. By @sietskefransen.bsky.social, @jessiewhchen.bsky.social, & Tiemen Cocquyt

Tiemen sharing his experiences using Leeuwenhoek’s and others microscopes

Sietske showing their photograph of the original Leeuwenhoek specimen and his original drawing

Jessie sharing her experience observing fern “globules” using original 17C microscopes

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Fabrizio Baldassarri @fabribald.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The website for the new book series Crafting Nature is online @brepols.net I co-edit it with Giancarla Periti - and the board is rich with colleagues working on the intersections between #arthistory #histsci We look forward to book/volume proposals #bookseries www.brepols.net/series/HMCN

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

Sietske Fransen @sietskefransen.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Followed by an amazing day in the @royalsociety.org library, looking at the Charter book (explained here to us by Rupert Baker) and the drawings by Marcello Malpighi.

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

Sietske Fransen @sietskefransen.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Wonderful days in Cambridge with Visualizing the Unknown @huygensknaw.bsky.social and Visualizing Science @bhmpi.bsky.social teams to explore collections and exchange with scholars working on Visual Culture and Natural History. @Fitzwilliammuseum @hpscambridge.bsky.social @whipplemuseum.bsky.social

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Glad that you found it! Hope it's helpful.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

I'm working on an article about early microscopic observations of ferns and the resulting images. Taking the opportunity, the core team of #VisualizingtheUnknown returned to the Museum Boerhaave yesterday for a MicroLab to observe fern sporangia and spores through early modern microscopes together!

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Het natuurtijdschrift Roots herdrukt in 2026 in ieder nummer—in een serie van 10— één plant uit de Flora Batava (2023), bewerkt door Esther van Gelder en Norbert Peeters. Januari belicht mijn vertelling over de wilde narcis en bloemenkleur!

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

Dr. Dominik Huenniger @dominikhhh.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Volume 10 (yes 10!!!) of our book series “Emergence of Natural History” @degruyterbrill.bsky.social @dgb-history.bsky.social is out #OpenAccess : @dvantrijp.bsky.social ‘s fascinating history of #fish studies / #Ichthyology Congratulations, Didi! #HistNatHist #HistSTM brill.com/display/titl...

brill.com

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Our Knowledge and Art Practices group had a blast and lots of interesting conversations on historical inks, pigments, and paints this morning. So nice to get back to these materials!

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Join us in The Hague on 3 December for my book presentation! 🌷🌻🌵 Look forward to sharing some findings, an exciting panel on practical knowledge with amazing colleagues, and a pop-up show on reconstructions/creative works from the project. Register: tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/D... See you there! 🌺

Flyer for the book presentation, with the text reads as the following.

Left-hand side:
Book Presentation, 3 December 2025, KB, National Library, Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5, The Hague

Right-hand side:
Programme
14:00 Walk-in
14:30 Welcome and opening, Esther van Gelder (KB, nationale bibliotheek), Editors of series Emergence of Natural History and De Gruyter Brill.
14:50 Book presentation, Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW).
15:10 Gifting of physical copies
15:15 Panel discussion:
State of the field(s) and practical knowledge
Moderator: Marieke Hendriksen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW)
Panelists: Marlise Rijks (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Sietske Fransen (Bibliotheca Hertziana/Max Planck Institute), Trude Dijkstra (Universiteit van Amsterdam), Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen (Huygens Instituut/KNAW).
16:00 Introduction to pop-up show. Display of reconstructions and creative projects related to the book.
16:15 Drinks / Borrel, Opportunity to see the pop-up show and book table featuring volumes from the Emergence of Natural History series.
17:00 End of event

Free admission with limited space.
Please register at https://tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/Details/Book-presentation-
Everlasting-Flower-Between-the-Pages--3-dec-134063.
Link to book: https://brill.com/display/title/70483

Photograph of almost two hundred sheets of paper with dots painted with many colours.

Photograph of an arrangement of, in clockwise order, a colour sample book, a watercolour of a tulip bouquet on paper, an album of monochromatic flower pictures, and a watercolour on parchment that shows several kinds of colourful flowers and the used colour palette on a separate piece of parchment.

Photograph of an arrangement of objects, including a box, two trays from the box, the spread of colour swatches from one of the volumes in the collection, colour tests from the process book, and a watercolour of two purple autumn crocuses displayed on a book stand.

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

De Gruyter Brill @degruyterbrill.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

🎁 It's that time of year – the holidays are just around the corner! Whether you're looking for gifts or want to treat yourself, take advantage of our #HolidaySale and get 40% off our #books and #eBooks! Offer valid through Dec 11. Start browsing now: 🔗 marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_Sale_EN?...

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

Fabrizio Baldassarri @fabribald.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

My special issue on gardens and plants as laboratories of premodern science is out on @royalsocietypublishing.org #notesandrecords #nrrs #histplants #histsci #vegscilif #envhist with articles by me, Luzzini on minerals, @johedesan.bsky.social on Guy de La Brosse, Jalobeanu on Bacon, and Benharrech🌱

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Fabrizio Baldassarri @fabribald.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

wrapping my presentation for this beautiful seminar at @bhmpi.bsky.social on Thursday morning (Rome time)🌿 #plantstudies #botany #premodernscience #histsci #arthistory 🌱 Do images have an epistemic role in botanical science?

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

That looks fun! Would indeed like to learn more about it.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Join us in Rome or online for a seminar on plant illustrations on 6 November! 🪴🌻🌿 Through images of mandrakes and ferns, @fabribald.bsky.social and I will be discussing issues in the role of images in early modern botany. www.biblhertz.it/events/43483...

biblhertz.it

The Role of Images in Early Modern Botany

This seminar brings together two experts on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century plants. Zooming in on the dilemma of visualizing plants (or not), and how images could become part of epistemic methods w...

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Thank you, Sarah! I learned a lot from your work for my own reconstructions!

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Your parchments were super helpful for the writing of this book!

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

It was such a positive experience working with @dominikhhh.bsky.social and @degruyterbrill.bsky.social. So honored to be part of the series Emergence of Natural History. Thank you for all the support in getting this book published!

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Printed copies of Everlasting Flowers are gorgeous! But the digital version is #openaccess for anyone to read: brill.com/display/titl.... A book presentation takes place at the KB in The Hague on 3 December. You are warmly invited! To register: tickets.kb.nl/nl-NL/Show/D... Please share!

Printed copies of the book, with one copy open to pages 196 and 197, and the two that are stacked showing the cover.

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

De Gruyter Brill Medieval & Early Modern Studies @dgb-mem.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

As autumn sets in, take a look at flowers that bloom forever 🌸🍂 In this new illustrated #openaccess book @jessiewhchen.bsky.social approaches 17th-c. florilegia as material objects reflecting the diverse plant knowledge of gardeners, compilers & image-makers! brill.com/display/titl... #EarlyModern

Book cover with a dark green floral patterned background. Title: “Everlasting Flowers between the Pages: The Making of Seventeenth-Century Florilegia” by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen, published by Brill in the series “Emergence of Natural History 9.” The cover illustration shows several varieties of red and pink anemones, taken from Franciscus de Geest’s Jardin de rares et curieux fleurs, second half of the seventeenth century (Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, VA).

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Surprise publication day! Earlier than anticipated, you can now read my #firstbook (digital version in #openaccess) or order a printed copy through the link. Official announcement and info on book presentation event coming soon! brill.com/display/titl... #NatHist, #HistNatHist, #flowers

brill.com

Everlasting Flowers between the Pages

"Everlasting Flowers between the Pages" published on 28 Aug 2025 by Brill.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

It was really interesting and addicting! I want to make more!

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

I found a unique lampworking workshop where I learned how to make mung bean sprouts when visiting family in Taiwan last month. These are not skilled glasswork, but I have made my first models of economic botany of some sort! With a bonus clear sprout for further experimentation with glass painting.

Photo of the author pulling a cane from a white glass rod in front of a torch.

Photo of five pieces of mung bean sprouts made of glass. One is in clear glass, two have translucent white stems and light yellow embryos, and two have translucent white stems and green embryos.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Fascinating! This reminds me of other aesthetic borders in seventeenth-century albums that also have an amalgamation of (copied) images, albeit done very differently.

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

June's Treasure of the Month is our new digitised collections - Linnean Online. The platform makes images of our herbaria, specimen and manuscript collections available for researchers around the world. It will also allow us to grow this important resource in the future. Read more: buff.ly/8E3OiOT

The Linnean Online entry 'Cassia glauca' part of the Buchanan-Hamilton Drawings collection. It shows a drawing of yellow flowers on a stem with small, light green leaves and a single pea pod, with metadata on the left-hand side.

The Linnean Online entry 'Papilio menelaus' part of the Insect specimen collection. It shows a blue butterfly, with metadata on the left-hand side.

The Linnean Online entry 'Artocarpus incisus' part of the Anderson Manuscripts collection. It shows a Triangular shaped tree with a man in blue shorts sitting in a relaxed posture underneath, with metadata on the left-hand side.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

This is so interesting! Do you know if the images were reproduced through intaglio printing?

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Back to the #MuseumBoerhaave to work with two rare compound microscopes from the 17th-c., one made by Giuseppe Campani and another attributed to John Marshall as the maker. So many new thoughts emerged from observing how colors and form changed under the lenses. #VisualizingTheUnknown #histsci

Photo with a microscope attributed to John Marshall as the maker in the front and a microscope made by Giuseppe Campani in the back.

A tiny slice of a dandelion stem under on a petri dish under the lens.

Magnified view of the dandelion stem slice when it was hydrated, showing vibrant greens in coloration.

Magnified view of the dandelion stem slice when it was almost dried, becoming more shriveled in form and brown in coloration.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Last highlight was a lunch talk at the uni. Herbaria to share my current research. So happy to see many interested people; the room was pretty packed. Got a bonus tour to more items at the Herbaria afterwards, including some stunning wax fruit from early 20th-c Japan from economic botany collection!

A box of fifteen wax apples of various sizes and colors.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Another major event was studying the famous Blaschka glass flowers on site. It was amazing to examine these incredible models in person, together with the collection manager & conservator. I also got to spend some time in the archive consulting some historical documents on the glass flowers.

Display cases in the glass flower room at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Glass model of the Encelia californica (California Brittlebush).

Glass model of the development of Marchantia polymorpha, a kind of liverwort.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Students then tried their hands at woodcutting in the 16th-c. manner. Several students liked the technique so much that they returned for more woodcutting the following week during their free experiment times!

Work stations for sixteenth-century woodcutting experiments.

22 inked woodblocks carrying various letters from the alphabet and other images.

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Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen @jessiewhchen.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

I visited Harvard Uni. the past two weeks. A major event was giving a workshop for the Summer Institute for Technical Studies in Art @ Art Museums. For the theme Experiment, I showed how I incorporate historical reconstruction/hands-on research in my past/present projects & the related experiments.

A slide showing, on the top half, a photo of an arrangement of art materials and images made in several mediums, and, on the bottom half, the title of the presentation, "Experimenting with Historical Reconstruction".

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Reposted by Jessie Wei-Hsuan Chen

Huygens Instituut @huygensknaw.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Next week: in the final session of the Historical Food Preservation Lecture Series, @preservare.bsky.social. PhD candidates @thijselfrink.bsky.social and Tijmen Moesker will discuss brining, pickling, and smoking. 📅 June 24, 15:30-17:00 (Amst) 🌐 Online👉 buff.ly/VlbeNIz @mariekehendriksen.bsky.social

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