Main Page | Resources | Tasks | Outcomes | Partners | Event Archive | About |
Introduction
editThis is a project created by me, Ambrosia10 (talk), in January 2018, to improve data on illustrators found in the digitized content of the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). I am aiming to add to and improve items on illustrators in Wikidata, add illustrations and improve the data relating to them in Wikimedia Commons, and to create or improve Wikipedia articles on the artists themselves. I am particularly interested in improving knowledge of, and access to, art by women scientific illustrators.
This project is an extension of my volunteer work with the Biodiversity Heritage Library and the collatoration I am undertaking with an independent researcher who also volunteers for BHL and who also is interested in women scientific illustrators and their work.
Workflow
edit- Find an illustrator and undertake basic research. I'm using my Artists & Scientific Illustrators spreadsheet as a starting point in this process.
- Check if a Wikidata item on illustrator exists. If not, create one. Example: Clarissa Munger Badger (Q20769459)
- If Wikidata item does exist, check that the Stuttgart Database of Scientific Illustrators identifier is linked as well as any BHL creator identifier. Discover and add to Wikidata item the VIAF identifier for the illustrator if lacking. Ensure other identifiers mentioned in the VIAF entry, such as the Library of Congress Name Authority File identifier, have also been added to the illustrator's wikidata item. Examples: Stuttgart Database of Scientific Illustrators, BHL VIAF
- Search Wikimedia Commons for the artist category and creator page. If present, ensure they are linked to the artist's Wikidata item. If not present, create them where needed. This may need to wait until the Pattypan spreadsheet for bulk upload of images is complete and awaiting use.
- Search Wikimedia Commons for images by the artist. User:Fae has been uploading thousands of BHL images so ensure that not just the name of the artist but also the titles of the books in which their works are featured are also searched for. See: Commons:Biodiversity Heritage Library for Fae's BHL project page
- If images exist, check whether they need to have the artist's category added to them. If artist has drawn all images in a book or article check that artist category is attached to category page for that work. For images in bulk, consider the use of appending the category markup via Help:VisualFileChange.js.
- Ensure that Wikimedia Commons Creator template markup is added to each illustration. There is no current bulk method for this. Individually edit the markup of each image. Example: Creator:Clarissa Munger Badger
- If images are lacking in Wikimedia Commons, start spreadsheet for bulk upload of images via Pattypan. Ensure that Creator template markup and artist category markup as well as book category markup are added to this spreadsheet. Use BHL permanent page identifier (DOI) for source of image. Prior to uploading the images double check that the appropriate categories and creator page have been created. Example: Category:Clarissa Munger Badger. Categories are hierarchical, so tag publication with creator category. Add institutional template. Examples: Template:Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Check Wikidata to see if the book or scientific article has a Wikidata item. If not, create one. Example: Floral belles from the green-house and garden (Q47097245) Add Wikimedia Commons category. Example Category:Floral belles from the green-house and garden
- If a book or scientific article item exists, ensure that the Wikimedia Commons category and the illustrator are added to the Wikidata item. Also ensure that the BHL DOI for the title is added, if it exists. Example: doi:10.5962/bhl.title.132919
Links, identifiers, templates, tools
edit- Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) – link: Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Wikidata – link: Wikidata
- Wikimedia Commons – link: Wikimedia Commons
- Artists & Scientific Illustrators spreadsheet
- Stuttgart Database of Scientific Illustrators ID (P2349) – link: Stuttgart Database of Scientific Illustrators identifier
- VIAF – link: VIAF
- DOI
- BHL creator ID (P4081)
- BHL page ID (P687)
- BHL bibliography ID (P4327)
- Pattypan – bulk upload tool
- Help:VisualFileChange.js
- Template:Creator
- Template:Institution
- Template:Book
- Template:Artwork
- Template:Photograph
- Other Category:Infobox templates, i.e., Template:Biohist
Work completed
editDiscussion on workflow, issues and outcomes
editFirst attempt at workflow: Clarissa Munger Badger – Floral Belles from the Green-house and Garden
editI used illustrations by Clarissa Munger Badger in Floral Belles from the Green-house and Garden as a trial image set. This set was manageable for a trial run as it was relatively small and the images were all illustrated by the same artist. This ensured that my first attempt progressing through the workflow was achieved relatively seamlessly. I did discover one challenge. I was unable to use the BHL template for adding images to Wikimedia Commons when using Pattypan. For ease I ended up using the basic "information" template. See this image. Ideally I would like to use the BHL template as shown here; however, creating code for this via Pattypan is currently beyond my coding capabilities.
Sarah Featon - Art Album of New Zealand Flora
editI again used Pattypan to upload these images. The main issue was attempting to use the OCR in BHL for the description of the place. I wanted to copy and paste the description. Unfortunately, as is frequently the case, the OCR needed correcting. This slowed the process significantly as a careful eye was needed to ensure species names were correctly spelt. I also didn't add species categories to the images. This felt very much against the grain and I suspect I'll add them in the near future.
I also came across a copyright issue relating to previous uploads of these images. A set of edited images had already been uploaded by Commons:User:Rawpixel. This user appears to be a company that takes images, in this case images illustrated by Sarah Featon, which are in the public domain, they slightly retouch the images and then claim the work as their own. They license it under the CC BY SA 4.0 license. See for example this image. I've added license review markup to these images but this is the second time I've come across images from this user which appear to claim copyright in works in the public domain. The other time was with the work of New Zealand illustrator F. E. Clarke. See this example.
Matilda Smith - Illustrations of the New Zealand Flora
editThese images have been loaded into Flickr by BHL. I have previously taxotagged those images with both the text and current taxonomy as well as the artist name and viaf number. I would prefer that metadata be uploaded into Wikicommons with the image as I don't want to replicate my efforts. Many of the BHL images in Flickr have been uploaded into Wikicommons by User:Fæ who manages to ensure tags are included in the upload. I am again limited by my lack of coding abilities as I can't work out how to replicate this. I'm therefore leaving these images until they are uploaded into Wikicommons and will interlink them when they are available.
Matilda Smith - Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76. Botany Vol. 1.
editThe Pattypan process was straightforward but the creation of the Wikidata entries for the main report and then the Botany reports and the two volumes challenged my wikidata skills. I also feel I need to upskill my library cataloguing skills as I'm sure more experienced folk with this skill set would find it easier to create appropriate Wikidata items for these volumes. However although they may not be ideal wikidata items they do now exist and have enabled the linking of these illustrations with their illustrators data.
I've got a query about Wikidata and Wikicommons that I can't seem to find an answer to. Looking at the wikidata entry of the subject of an illustration, for example Clematis paniculata, there is a section that links "other sites". I've seen many wikidata entries that link to the Commons gallery page whereas I believe it should be the Commons category page as shown in the example. However I can't find any confirmation that this is recommended.
Matilda Smith - Botany of Socotra.
editI'm getting very used to the Pattypan process by now. I've added the text names for the plants in the description but also the current name within the categories of the image. Many of these plants are not illustrated in English wikipedia and these images can be added. They could also be added to Wikidata.
Next steps
editI intend to continue to choose candidates from my artists and scientific illustrators spreadsheet to include in this project. There have been occasions where I have found New Zealand botanical illustrations or publications that are not yet or will never be in BHL. If possible I have put in a scanning request attempting to get the publication into BHL. If this is not possible (See for example Martha King) I'll attempt to source the illustrations from another source.
Gallery
edit- Badger, C. M. (1867). Floral Belles from the Green-house and Garden. New York: C. Scribner & Co. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.132919.
-
Image 0008
-
Image 0019
-
Image 0023
-
Image 0027
-
Image 0031
-
Image 0035
-
Image 0039
-
Image 0043
-
Image 0047
-
Image 0051
-
Image 0055
-
Image 0059
-
Image 0063
-
Image 0067
-
Image 0071
-
Image 0075
- Featon, E. H.; Featon, S. A (1889). Art Album of New Zealand Flora. Wellington: Bock & Cousins. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.24349.
-
P1 Image 0015
-
P1 Image 0018
-
P1 Image 0027
-
P1 Image 0030
-
P1 Image 0041
-
P1 Image 0055
-
P1 Image 0065
-
P1 Image 0073
-
P1 Image 0078
-
P1 Image 0085
-
P1 Image 0107
-
P1 Image 0110
-
P1 Image 0120
-
P1 Image 0127
-
P2 Image 0011
-
P2 Image 0021
-
P2 Image 0035
-
P2 Image 0041
-
P2 Image 0049
-
P2 Image 0057
-
P2 Image 0065
-
P2 Image 0071
-
P2 Image 0077
-
P2 Image 0083
-
P2 Image 0089
-
P2 Image 0101
-
P2 Image 0109
- Cheeseman, T. F. (1914). Illustrations of the New Zealand Flora. Wellington: John Mackay. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.12029.
- Hemsley, William Botting (1885). "Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-76. Botany". Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76. Botany Vol. 1.
-
Image 0235
-
Image 0239
-
Image 0243
-
Image 0247
-
Image 0251
-
Image 0255
-
Image 0259
-
Image 0263
-
Image 0267
-
Image 0271
-
Image 0275
-
Image 0279
-
Image 0283
-
Image 0587
-
Image 0591
-
Image 0595
-
Image 0603
-
Image 0607
-
Image 0611
-
Image 0615
-
Image 0619
-
Image 0623
-
Image 0627
-
Image 0631
-
Image 0635
-
Image 0639
-
Image 0643
-
Image 0647
-
Image 0651
-
Image 0655
-
Image 0659
-
Image 0663
-
Image 0667
-
Image 0671
-
Image 0675
-
Image 0679
-
Image 0683
-
Image 0687
-
Image 0691
-
Image 0695
-
Image 0699
-
Image 0703
-
Image 0707
-
Image 0711
-
Image 0715
-
Image 0719
-
Image 0723
-
Image 0727
-
Image 0731
-
Image 0735
-
Image 0739
-
Image 0743
-
Image 1081
-
Image 1085
-
Image 1089
-
Image 1093
-
Image 1097
-
Image 1101
-
Image 1105
-
Image 1109
-
Image 1113
-
Image 1117
-
Image 1121
-
Image 1125
- Balfour, Isaac Bayley (1888). "Botany of Socotra". Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 31.
-
Image 0535
-
Image 0539
-
Image 0543
-
Image 0547
-
Image 0551
-
Image 0555
-
Image 0559
-
Image 0563
-
Image 0567
-
Image 0571
-
Image 0575
-
Image 0579
-
Image 0583
-
Image 0587
-
Image 0591
-
Image 0595
-
Image 0599
-
Image 0603
-
Image 0607
-
Image 0611
-
Image 0615
-
Image 0619
-
Image 0623
-
Image 0627
-
Image 0631
-
Image 0635
-
Image 0639
-
Image 0643
-
Image 0647
-
Image 0651
-
Image 0655
-
Image 0659
-
Image 0663
-
Image 0667
-
Image 0671
-
Image 0675
-
Image 0679
-
Image 0683
-
Image 0687
-
Image 0691
-
Image 0695
-
Image 0699
-
Image 0703
-
Image 0707
-
Image 0711
-
Image 0715
-
Image 0719
-
Image 0723
-
Image 0727
-
Image 0731
-
Image 0735
-
Image 0739
-
Image 0743
-
Image 0747
-
Image 0751
-
Image 0755
-
Image 0759
-
Image 0763
-
Image 0767
-
Image 0771
-
Image 0775
-
Image 0779
-
Image 0783
-
Image 0787
-
Image 0791
-
Image 0795
-
Image 0799
-
Image 0803
-
Image 0807
-
Image 0811
-
Image 0815
-
Image 0819
-
Image 0823
-
Image 0827
-
Image 0831
-
Image 0835
-
Image 0839
-
Image 0843
-
Image 0847
-
Image 0851
-
Image 0855
-
Image 0859
-
Image 0863
-
Image 0867
-
Image 0871
-
Image 0875
-
Image 0879
-
Image 0883
-
Image 0887
-
Image 0891
-
Image 0895
-
Image 0899
-
Image 0903
-
Image 0907
-
Image 0911
-
Image 0915
-
Image 0919
-
Image 0923
-
Image 0927
-
Image 0931