334 McNulty and Roman: Forgotten Contributions To research Harrisons’s story and that of her con- temporaries in Philadelphia, we conducted archival research at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, viewing the Harrison Family Papers and society records from women’s groups involved in urban greening. In addition, archival work was undertaken at the University of Pennsylvania Archives and Records Center, specifically examining the Charles Custis Harrison Collection and Office of the Provost Records C. C. Harrison Family Papers records (The University Archives and Records Center 2000). We also searched local newspapers such as The Philadel- phia Inquirer and university magazines for mentions of Ellen Harrison and other women’s urban greening activities during the years Harrison was active. This original research enabled us to construct a narrative of Harrison’s roles in tree planting on campus and beyond. THE GENDERED HISTORY OF WOMEN IN URBAN GREENING AND RELATED FIELDS Figure 1. Image of Ellen Harrison, the provost’s “right-hand man.” Photograph used with permission from the University Archives and Records Center, Penn Libraries, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. would not have known about Ellen Harrison’s role in campus beautification. Harrison’s story is emblematic of a larger trend regarding American women in urban greening, bot- any, horticulture, and forestry around the turn of the 20th century. Many women and their civic associa- tions were involved in city tree planting and park advocacy. For women, shaping their cities was a means of empowerment (Dümpelmann 2015), and wealthy women like Harrison used their high-society status and influence to beautify their cities. The work of women like Harrison was typically overshadowed by their male contemporaries; men were celebrated and women largely forgotten. In this paper, we first discuss the history of women’s contributions in urban greening and then situate Harrison amongst her female contemporaries, discussing her contributions to the university campus and other landscapes. Finally, we demonstrate the need for further research on gendered roles in historical and current urban greening and urban forestry. ©2022 International Society of Arboriculture In order to situate Harrison and the role of other women in urban greening, botany, horticulture, and forestry, we here provide background on the gen- dered history of these fields. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in the USA, women have been present in science, but their involvement has been neglected (Oreskes 1996). In the early 20th century, women embodied roles as “protectors of the environment.” However, their contributions were “rendered all but invisible by conservation historians” (Merchant 1995). Prior to an examination of overlooked women, some definitions are needed. Urban greening is defined as “a social practice of organized or semi-organized efforts to introduce, conserve, or maintain outdoor vegeta- tion in urban areas” (Horte and Eisenman 2020). Tree planting is one aspect of urban greening, and urban tree programs broadly fall under urban forestry, defined as “the art, science and technology of manag- ing trees and forest resources in and around urban community ecosystems” (Konijnendijk et al. 2006). Urban tree planting became popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including street tree planting and the creation of urban park systems. In the 19th century, public health concerns stemming from industrialization, increased population, and sub- sequent pollution resulted in city elites pushing for public parks and parkways (Eisenman 2016). This created the first urban tree movement in the USA
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