Blaschka Glass Flowers Curator Retires After 56 Years' Service

Louis C. Bierweiler, who began his career of caring for the famous Blaschka Glass Flowers at the University 56 years ago, will retire this summer. Seven million tourists have inspected the specimens during his years as Curator.

The flowers came to the University in regular shipments, arriving over a period of almost a half century, from 1887 to 1936. Bierweiler unpacked the first crate in 1901, when he was just 15. The late Professor George L. Goodale hired him to care for the collection, and he has since been responsible for mounting, displaying, and repairing the specimens.

To protect the delicate flowers against vibration and shock, Bierweiler perfected a technique which buttresses the stems, leaves and petals, without obstructing the fine details of color and design.

Bierweiler became Curator of Botanical Collections in the University Botanical Museum in 1937. His knowledge of the Museum has been used to furnish continuity to its academic and public programs. When Botany was taught at the Museum, he prepared the students' slide material for many of the courses.

The collection contains more than 800 hand-molded glass models made by a father-and-son team of German artisans.

The specimens include cross-sections of the plants, with all the details of the fine internal anatomy of the flower worked in threads and sheets of glass.

Even the process of insect pollination is shown in glass by means of delicate glass bees crawling down the petals, covered with tiny dots of colored pollen.