Pomology Charles were prominent in Pomology and Horticulture, producing "The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America" (1845). The introduction of new varieties required exact depiction of the fruit so that plant breeders could accurately document and disseminate their research results. Since the use of scientific photography was not widespread in the late 19th Century, USDA commissioned artists to create watercolor illustrations of newly introduced cultivars. Many of the watercolors were used for lithographic reproductions in USDA publications, such as the "Report of the Pomologist" and the "Yearbook of Agriculture". Today, the collection of approximately 7,700 watercolors is preserved in the National
What Is Theosophy? What Is Theosophy? "What Is Theosophy?" is an editorial published in October 1879 in the Theosophical magazine "The Theosophist." It was compiled by Helena Blavatsky and included into the 2nd volume of the "Blavatsky Collected Writings." According to a doctoral thesis by Tim Rudbøg, in this "important" article Blavatsky "began conceptualizing her idea of 'Theosophy'." Blavatsky writes that, "according to lexicographers, the term "theosophia" is composed of two Greek words—"theos" "god," and "sophos" "wise." She then writes that Noah Webster defines it as "a supposed intercourse with God and superior spirits, and consequent attainment of superhuman knowledge, by "physical processes,"