From this botanist's collection of personal papers, these field books and journals consist primarily of correspondence, lists, and notes relating to his research on South American plants. Most of the records concern the identification of specimens. Also included are Killip's journal and photographs from a 1914 camping trip in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.
Ellsworth Paine Killip (1890-1968), a botanist, was raised in upstate New York and received the A.B. degree from the University of Rochester in 1911. He joined the staff of the United States National Museum (USNM) in 1919 as an Aide in the Division of Plants. He was promoted to Assistant Curator in 1927, Associate Curator in 1928, and Curator in 1946. In 1947, Killip was appointed Head Curator of the newly established Department of Botany, USNM, a position he retained until his retirement in 1950. He was a Research Associate in the Department of Botany, USNM, from 1950 to 1965. Killip specialized in the taxonomy of South American plants.
