Overview: This small collection consists of letters written by Joseph Hers and photographs taken during Hers’ trips to Asia. Hers, a Belgian citizen, originally went to China as an interpreter with the Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs, though he would eventually hold several jobs in that country. Despite describing his own knowledge of botany as “very limited,” between 1919 and 1924, Hers compiled and sent to the Arnold Arboretum over 2000 plant specimens. The materials in this collection primarily...