‘Best presents for England!’: a New Zealand fern album in Scotland

Abstract The popularity of ferns reached its height in Britain in the 1850s when fern albums containing British fern specimens became a popular feature of the Victorian drawing room. Although New Zealand fern specimens were of interest to amateur and professional botanists alike, the production and marketing of New Zealand fern albums on a significant commercial scale did not occur until the 1870s. The albums showcased the beauty and profusion of the colony’s flora, as well as highlighting the natural resources available for commercial exploitation. One album, held in the collections of National Museums Scotland, has been the focus of new research to re-establish the context surrounding its production and its performative potential. Placing this album within the context of the historical development of Victorian fern fever and of the fern albums that were consequently produced for sale in New Zealand, this essay considers its aesthetic, social, historical and biocultural value, and how it came to Scotland.