Catherine Furbish

Catherine 'Kate' Furbish (May 19, 1834 – December 6, 1931) was an American botanist who collected, classified and illustrated the native flora of Maine. She devoted over 60 years of her life, traveling thousands of miles throughout her home state and creating very accurate drawings and watercolor paintings of the plants she found.

She discovered two plants which were named after her: Pedicularis furbishiae (Furbish lousewort) and Aster cordifolius L., var. furbishiae.

Kate Furbish was born on May 19, 1834 in Exeter, New Hampshire, the eldest child and only daughter of Benjamin and Mary Lane Furbish. The family relocated to Brunswick, Maine, shortly after her birth. As a child, her father would take Furbish and her five younger brothers for walks in the local woods. Even as a young child, Furbish showed a knack for botany as she was able to identify many of the area’s native plants.

Furbish pursued a genteel education in painting and French literature. She studied drawing in Portland and Boston. This resulted in her spending one year in Paris to perfect her painting. Though she did not receive a formalized higher education, in 1860, Furbish attended George L. Goodale’s botany lectures in Boston.

Furbish was an artist, but also a scientist, defying the societal norms of the time. She led the life of a typical Victorian lady in that she dressed appropriately, attended church regularly, and kept her house in immaculate order, but she was often impatient with other social conventions and took refuge in her family. She is described as being very independent. She traveled alone and did not feel the need to get married.

In 1860, Furbish became very ill after a trip to Boston, and spent the next 10 years recovering her fragile health. By 1870, Furbish had regained sufficient strength to resume her walks through the woods in Maine. In 1873, her father died and left her a large enough inheritance so she could pursue her favorite pastime.

Local residents became accustomed to seeing Furbish on her walks. Some people considered her unusual due to her obsession with flora and the outdoors. She was given the nickname "Posey Woman," which stuck with her and which she felt suited her well. When asked why she was so interested in "weeds," Furbish quoted Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "We feel the presence of God in Nature there, Nature grand and awful, and tread reverently where all is so hushed and oppressive in its silence."

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