Forster, Johann Reinhold (1729 - 1798)

Summary

Johann Forster was naturalist in H.M.S. Resolution for James Cook's second voyage of exploration, in the Southern and Pacific Oceans. After 13 years as a pastor in Danzig, Prussia, he moved to England in 1766. During his early years here he published on mineralogy and north American natural history, and translated the works of Linnaean disciples into English. After a potential expedition for the East India Company expedition fell through, Forster joined James Cook's second voyage in H.M.S. Resolution, accompanied by his son George as assistant. On this journey significant explorations were made in the Southern and Pacific Oceans. After returning to England the Forsters published on the flora they had observed, one of the most important early works on the plants of the regions through they had travelled, Characteres generum plantarum quas in itinere ad insulas maris australis (1776). Relations between Johann Forster and Cook soured over the publication of the narrative of the voyage: George's account appeared six weeks before that of Cook. Johann returned to Europe after the expedition and became Professor at the University of Halle in Saxony, where he oversaw the University's botanic garden and published widely on a range of scientific subjects. The plant genus Forstera (Stylidiaceae) (endemic to New Zealand and Tasmania), and the fish genus Forsterygion (Tripterygiidae) (endemic to New Zealand) were named in his honour.

Details

Chronology

1753

Life event - Became a parson near Danzig, Prussia

1766

Life event - Moved to England

1766 - 1768

Career position - Tutor in modern languages and natural history, Warrington Academy

1772 - 1798

Award - Fellow, Royal Society, London

July 1772 - July 1775

Career position - Naturalist in H.M.S. Resolution under the command of James Cook

1780 - ?

Career position - Professor, University of Halle, Saxony

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Australian Botanists - Biographies, MS 064; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details
• Johann Georg Adam Forster and Johann Reinhold Forster - Records, 1772 - 1775, MS 051; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales

• Joseph Banks - Records, 1766 - 1820, ML MSS 743; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

• Johann Reinhold Forster - Records, 1745 - 1820, MS 688; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details
• Joseph Banks - Records, 1745 - 1820, MS 9; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, Melbourne, 2012, https://www.eoas.info/exhibitions/basser/basser_browse.html. Details

Books

• Forster, Joannes Reinhold and Forster, Georgius, Characteres generum plantarum quas in itinere ad insulas maris australis, collegerunt, descripserunt, delinaerunt, annis MDCCLXXII-MDCCLXXV (London: B. White, T. Cadell & P. Elmsly, 1776), 150 pp, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/4448. Details
• Forster, John Reinhold, Observations made during a voyage round the world, on physical geography, natural history, and ethic philosophy (London: G. Robinson, 1778), 649 pp. Details
• Goldstein, Jürgen: translated by Janusch, Anne, Georg Forster, voyager, naturalist, revolutionary (Chicago: Chicago university Press, 2019), 264 pp. Details
• Hoare, Michael E., The tactless philosopher: Johann Reinhold Forster (1729-98) (Melbourne: Hawthorn Press, 1976), 419 pp. Details
• Mariss, Anne, Johann Reinhold Forster and the making of natural history on Cook's second voyage 1772 - 1775 (Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2019), 240 pp. Details
• Nicolson, Dan H. and Fosberg, F. Raymond, The Forsters and the botany of the second Cook voyage (1772 - 1778) (Ruggell, Liechtenstein: A. R. G. Gantner Verlag, 2004), 759 pp. Details
• Williams, Glyn, Naturalists at Sea: Scientific Travellers from Dampier to Darwin (New Haven, Connecticut/London: Yale University Press, 2013), 309 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Dippel, Horst, 'Conflicting Anthropological Concepts: Georg Forster and Johann Reinhold Forster on New Zealand' in Ferdinand Hochstetter and the Contribution of German-Speaking Scientists to New Zealand Natural History in the Nineteenth Century, Braund, James, ed. (Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2012), pp. 29-46. Details
• Shaw, A G. L., 'Forster, Johann Reinhold (1729-1798), author and naturalist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 1: 1788 - 1850 A-H, Douglas Pike, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1966), pp. 403-404. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/forster-johann-reinhold-2057. Details

Edited Books

• Hoare, Michael E. ed., The 'Resolution' Journal of Johann Reinhold Forster, 1772-1775, 4 vols (London: Hakluyt Society, 1982), 873 pp. Details
• Thomas, Nicholas and Berghof, Oliver, assisted by Newell, Jennifer. eds, A Voyage Round the World, by George Forster, 2 vols (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2000). Details
• Weber, Therese and Watson, Jeanie eds, Cook's pacific encounters: the Cook-Forster Collection of the Georg-August University of Gottingen (Canberra: National Museum of Australia, 2006), 110 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• Carolin, R. C., 'J. R. and J. G. A. Forster and Their Collections', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 88 (1963), 108-111. Details
• Dressler, Stefan, 'Johann Reinhold und Georg Forster: zwei deutsche Natuforscher auf Kapitan Cooks zweiter Weltumseglung zur Erforscher der sülichen Hemishpare', Palmengarten sonderheft, 35 (2001), 19-46. Details
• Edwards, Phyllis I., 'Sir Joseph Banks and the botany of Captain Cook's three voyages of exploration', Pacific studies journal, 2 (1) (1978), 20-43, https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol2/iss1/4. Details
• Grapes, Rodney, 'First reports of in-situ "jade" (pounamu) in New Zealand: Johannes and George Forster (1777, 1778; 1783), James Hector (1863), Arthur Dieseldorf (1901), west coast Maori tradition', Journal of the Historical Studies Group, Geoscience Society of New Zealand, 70 (2021), 22-42. Details
• Hoare, M. E., 'Johann Reinhold Forster: the neglected 'philosopher' of Cook's second voyage (1772 - 1775)', Journal of Pacific history, 2 (1) (1967), 215-24, https://doi.org/10.1080/00223346708572117. Details
• Hoare, M. E., ''A Strange and Eventful History': the Scientific Correspondents of J. R. Forster (1729-98)', Records of the Australian Academy of Science, 2 (3) (1972), 7-17. https://www.publish.csiro.au/hr/HR9720230007. Details
• Iredale, T., 'J. R. and G. Forster, Naturalists', Emu, 37 (1937), 95-99. Details
• Palma, Ricardo L., 'Two bird lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) collected during Captain Cook's 2nd voyage around the world', Archives of natural history, 18 (2) (1991), 237-47. Details
• Rosove, Michael H., 'The folio issues of the Forsters' Characteres generum plantarum (1775 and 1776); a census of copies', Polar record, 51 (6) (2015), 611-23. Details
• St John, Harold, 'The date of publication of Forster's Characteres generum plantarum and its relation to contemporary works', Naturaliste canadien, 95 (1971), 561-81. Details
• Whitehead, P. J. P., 'The Forster collection of zoological drawings in the British Museum (Natural History)', Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), historical series, 6 (4) (1978), 25-47. Details

Resources

• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/71405428. Details
• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q213570. Details
• 'Forster, Johann Reinhold (1729-1798)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-824984. Details

See also

• Bodi, Leslie, 'Forster, Johann Georg(e) Adam (1754-1794), writer, traveller and revolutionary' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 1: 1788 - 1850 A-H, Douglas Pike, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1966), pp. 402-403. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/forster-johann-georg-adam-2056. Details
• Cook, James; edited by Beaglehole, J. C., The Journals of Captain James Cook on his voyages of discovery, 4 vols (Cambridge: Hakluyt Society, 1968). Details
• George, Alex S., Australian botanist's companion (Kardinya, W.A.: Four Gables Press, 2009), 671 pp. Details
• Hooper, Beverley ed., With Captain James Cook in the Antarctic and Pacific : the private journal of James Burney, second lieutenant of the "Adventure' on Cook's second voyage, 1772-1773 (Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1975), 112 pp. Details
• Maiden, J. H., 'Records of Australian botanists:- (a) general; (b) New South Wales', Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales, 42 (1908), 60-132. Details
• Whitehead, P. J. P., 'A guide to the dispersal of zoological material from Captain Cook's voyages', Pacific studies journal, 2 (1) (1978), 53-93, https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol2/iss1/6. Details