Person
Waterhouse, Mary Jane (Janie) (1853 - 1935)
- Born
- 1853
- Died
- June 1935
Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Shell collector
Summary
Janie Waterhouse was keen naturalist throughout her life. Her main interest was sea shells, particularly cowries, which she collected particularly around Sydney. Her notebooks are meticulous records of the shells she found. Shells brought home by her husband Gustavus from his business trips to Pacific islands were added to the collection. Much of this large collection was donated to the Australian Museum by Janie in 1930. She also donated some shells and her wildflower paintings to the Sydney Teachers' College. Waterhouse was an Honorary Member of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, and a life member of the New South Wales Naturalists' Society. Two of her sons had distinguished scientific careers: Athol (entomologist) and Gowrie (horticulturist).
Related entries
Children
Published resources
Journal Articles
- 'The Waterhouse collections', Australian Museum magazine, 4 (4) (1930), 110-4. Details
- Allen, Joyce K., 'Shells in the Waterhouse collection', Australian Museum magazine, 5 (2) (1933), 29-43. Details
- Waterhouse, Michael, 'Janie's legacy', Explore, 35 (1) (2013), 2-3, https://media.australian.museum/media/dd/Uploads/Documents/28828/Explore_35_1_online.a0575d5.pdf. Details
Newspaper Articles
- Anon, 'Mary Jane (Janie) Waterhouse (1853 - 1935)', Sydney morning herald (1935), 15, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/waterhouse-mary-jane-janie-16364. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 7 July 2026