Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
A Research Division of Carnegie Mellon University

Hunt Institute Archives Text Discovery Platform

Search a large and growing portion of our online collections, including handwritten documents.
PROTOTYPE

This prototype uses state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, including a vision-language model (VLM) capable of reading handwritten documents as well as typed and printed text, to create searchable transcriptions of digitized materials in the Hunt Institute Archives. This makes it possible to search the textual contents of individual pages, including material that may not be described in the archival catalog.

Use Keyword search for specific words, names, dates, scientific names, or phrases. Try Semantic search (experimental) to describe a topic, question, or kind of material when you do not know the exact wording used in the documents.

About the AI-generated transcriptions

The transcriptions are generated automatically from page images and may contain errors, especially with difficult handwriting, unusual names, multiple languages, image-quality problems, or complex layouts. They are intended primarily as a discovery aid rather than authoritative transcriptions.

Each result provides the generated transcription and links to the original digitized material and associated archival description so that readings can be checked against the source. The transcription workflow uses AI models run locally by the Hunt Institute.

About Keyword and Semantic search

Keyword search is the default and matches the wording in the transcriptions. Results contain all your terms. Use quotes for an exact phrase. Substring matching is supported, so aceae can find plant-family names ending in -aceae.

Semantic search (experimental) is useful when you know what kind of material you are looking for but do not know the words used in the documents. It ranks transcribed passages by similarity of meaning, so relevant results may not contain the exact words in your query.

Semantic queries can be broad research topics, descriptions of activities or relationships, or natural-language questions. For example:

plant collecting and fieldwork in South America medicinal, culinary, or other traditional uses of plants chromosomes and plant classification early herbals and botanical illustrations botanical institutions exchanging plants, seeds, and specimens microscopy and photomicrography in botanical research How did botanists and gardeners introduce plants from one region to another? grafting, budding, and propagation of tropical fruit crops

Semantic search is not a chatbot: a question is used as a search query, and the system returns archival passages that appear conceptually related to it rather than generating an answer or summary. Short descriptions and ordinary research questions generally work better than lists of disconnected keywords. Quotation marks have no special meaning in Semantic mode. Cross-language matching may work in some cases, but it should not be treated as translation.

Keyword and Semantic search are complementary. Keyword search lets you require particular wording; Semantic search can surface differently worded passages about the same subject. Depending on the research question, trying both can reveal different useful material.

Open a result: use the prominent page-and-transcription link to see the metadata, PDF, and full transcription. Keyword-search terms are highlighted in the transcription.

Archives Collections Database (ArchivesSpace): the Collection, Item/Folder, and Digital Object links open the corresponding archival records. Collection-level dates describe the collection as a whole, not necessarily the specific item or page.

If a PDF does not load: on the detail page, use the Digital Object link, click “Go to file” in ArchivesSpace, and navigate to the page number shown here.

Current limitations
  • Automated transcriptions can contain missing or incorrect text or unintended repetition. Difficult handwriting, image quality, unusual layouts, and multiple languages can reduce accuracy. Always consult the original page image when an exact reading matters.
  • Semantic search remains experimental. Its rankings are an additional discovery aid, not a complete or definitive set of relevant results, and highly ranked pages can sometimes be only broadly related.
  • This is an active prototype. Search coverage, transcriptions, functionality, and the interface may continue to change as additional archival material is processed and the system is improved.

← Back to results

Page 11 · DO #129 · 204_Popenoe_Bx8FF126r

Collection
Wilson Popenoe (1892–1975) family papers
Item/Folder
Greene, Wilhelmina Freeman, 4 December 1958–16 March 1959
Digital Object
DO #129, page 11
Collection-level dates
1882–1975
Open PDF at page 11 ↗

Page transcription

MRS. RAYMOND W. GREENE
242 CHASE AVE. WINTER PARK, FLORIDA
February 23, 1959

Botanical or Cultural Relations Department
United Fruit Co.
Boston, Mass.

Gentlemen:

Mr. Paul Allen of Santa Tecla El Salvador tells me that you have an
outstanding collection of tropical plants at your Tancetilla Experimental
Station in Honduras and in your various townsites, but I can't find out
how to get to them or anything about overland travel in Honduras.

I am going to Central America March 1st to illustrate more tropical
flowers. I hope to use the 45 colored illustrations which I own from our
book, "Flowers of the South, Native and Exotic", for a popular tropical
booklet in Spanish -- or for a tourist booklet. I wrote Dr. Popenc to
ask if your company might be interested in the booklet as part of your
advertising scheme, but he thought it would be too expensive a project.

Dr. Paddock at the Escuela Agricola had suggested that Dr. Molina might
be able to take me on a botanizing collecting trip. I am a woman alone,
so he had to call that off. He has been away and I have just heard from
him, so haven't made any other definite plans between March 14th when I
arrive in Tegucigalpa until the week of April 5 and 11 when Mrs. Doris
Stone plans to have me lecture at the Costa Rica Garden Club.

The Cultural Relations Department of our State Department is sponsoring
my showing of Kodachrome slides to the Mexico City Garden Club March 11th
and a demonstration lectureson "Flower Arrangement Quickies" at the V.A.U.W.
in Venezuela April 27th. I didn't schedule other lectures because I
had hoped to collect with Prof. Molina. My lecturing helps me make
contacts with local people so that I can get flowers to illustrate.

Mr. Allen says that you have numerous groups in Central America, and I am
wondering if you might be able to assist me with overland transportation
or expenses in return for the sort of program that I do. I have one set
of slides on American Gardens with Spanish titles, and Gardens of Japan
in English. If no 35 mm. projector, I can do flower arrangement quickies
if the flowers and vases are collected for me.

Unfortunately, both Dr. Popence and Dr. Paddock have been away from home,
so I have been unable to get their advice. I am going to Tegucigalpa
March 14th because Dr. Popence will be there, but that may be too late to
arrange anything of this sort. I am afraid this is a bad time for Dr.
Paddock.

My address March 1 to 12 will be Pension Gonzalez, Sena 69, Mexico D.F.
I have written El Prado Hotel in Teguigalpa for March 14th. Might it be
possible that some of your people will be attending graduation at Escuela
Agricola and that I might drive to one of your centers with them?

In scheduling lectures I prefer to give them at night where possible, so
I have more time to paint flowers in the daytime. I am sorry to give
you such short notice, but since I had counted on the botanizing with Dr.
Molina I waited to make plans. Please tell me where your centers are
located in San Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica, where there is good
tropical planting and how to get to them.