Glasgow's unusual link to 'dark history' of the pineapple

Glasgow Times

5 days ago

Even more surprising is the dark history behind this innocuous-seeming fruit, which is one of the fascinating strands explored in a new exhibition at the venue.
Unearthed: The Power of Gardening is a free display, running until August 10, which explores the transformative, enriching and sometimes radical power of gardening.
(Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
The city's keen gardeners are being invited to take part too - the Mitchell is appealing to local growing and greenspace groups to donate leaflets, posters, pamphlets and flyers that document their activities, which will be added to the library's Glasgow Collection.
Inspired by the British Library's major exhibition running at the same time, the Mitchell is one of 30 library services celebrating gardening through the UK-wide Living Knowledge Network.
(Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
From windowsills to allotments, the exhibition explores how the act of gardening can heal and sustain people in a multitude of ways.
It reveals how gardening can bring people together, empower communities and shape our relationship with the natural world. It also considers gardening as a form of activism, as a means of challenging land ownership and highlighting social disparities, as well as providing a global story about the movement of plants.
(Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
As well as a specially designed travelling exhibition created by the British Library, the display will reflect the collections in the Mitchell Library, with some surprising stories behind the books – like what is considered to be one of the first drawings of a pineapple…..
(Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
Lucy Bell, one of the Glasgow Life assistants sharing their favourite exhibits, explains: 'Pineapples, as well as being delicious, nutritious and aesthetically pleasing, have a fascinating yet at times dark history, which is explored in the exhibition.
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'This copy of a watercolour was painted by John White, an English artist who accompanied attempts to colonise North America, including the failed Roanoke colony, which remains one of America's most enduring mysteries.
'It is one of the earliest depictions of a pineapple in Europe, and this is a great opportunity to display this reproduction that is contained within a beautiful volume that we have within the Mitchell.'
The Drawings of John White featuring The Pyne Fruit will be on display from July 14 until August 9.
Phoebe Crawford with The Scots Gard'ner (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
Phoebe Crawford's favourite item from the exhibition is John Reid's Scots Gard'ner.
'It's an absolute relic,' she explains. 'Regarded as one of the first gardening books in Scotland, it contains recipes and instructions for growing plants, fruits and vegetables, and provides an in-depth knowledge from the mind of a dedicated botanist.
'I love it for its aged pages, handwritten annotations and insight into the world of gardening through the lens of rural Scottish history.'
(Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
The Scots Gard'ner will be on display between June 9 and July 14.
Sylvia Smith's favourite works in the exhibition are by botanist and architectural gardener, John Claudius Loudon, whose writings, with his wife, author Jane Webb Loudon, helped shape Victorian taste in gardens and public parks.
John Claudius Loudon (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
'Born in 1782 in Cambuslang, he attended Edinburgh University studying biology and his view on botany precedes his contemporaries who later lead and set the discipline on architectural gardening and landscape for centuries to come,' adds Sylvia.
Librarian Clare Thompson said: 'We hope our selections from The Mitchell Library's collections bring new ideas and surprises about the treasures behind the scenes at the Mitchell.
"This has been a truly collaborative effort.'