“Presented by Lady Simpson:” an herbarium of wildflowers from Red River (1830-1833)

Natural history collections have the potential for comparative studies with contemporary perspectives. Here, we present a historically important collection of preserved plants from Winnipeg, Manitoba, collected by Lady Frances Simpson—spouse of the Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Northern Department—who lived briefly in the region from 1830-1833. Simpson accompanies her specimens with many notes, giving insight into her skills and thoughts on aesthetics, and her collected species reflect the diversity of the landscape of that time. In a step towards curatorial collaboration with Manitobans, we include perspectives of three Métis botanical knowledge keepers on the collection’s value.