Note: All items pictured on this website are in the personal collection of Frank W. Reiser. Please contact if you wish to display parts of the collection at your institution or if you are seeking additional information about the topic.

Collection de 60 Sections Transversales de Bois des Essences Forestières les plus Importantes à l’usage des Eléves de l’École Impériale Forestière de. Hermann v Nordlinger and A. Auguste Mathieu, 1855.

(Collection of 60 Cross-Sections of Wood from Important European Forest Species for students at the Imperial Forestry School in Nancy, France) Hermann Nordlinger (1818 – 1891) published 60 Sections Transversales in 1855, three years following his widely acclaimed  Querschnitte von Hundert Holzarten. The book’s full title assigns the work to the Imperial Forestry School in Nancy, France. Nordlinger included the French botanist A. Auguste Mathieu (1814-1890) as a coauthor for the work. Mathieu, a professor at the Forestry School, worked with Nordlinger during his two-year tenure in Nancy early in the careers of both men. The two became lifelong friends and exchanged correspondence until Mathieu’s death. 

Nordlinger and Mathieu Create a Rare Collection of Tree Species.

When Nordlinger’s 60 Transversales was published, the sole comparable work was his more extensive 100-section wood German language Querschnitte von Hundert Holzarten. A casual inspection suggests that 60 Transversales is an abridged French language issue of the larger Querschinitte. But that would not explain the addition of a second author to the French edition. Closer comparison, however, shows that 60 Transversales holds only thirty sections of tree species found in the larger work. Of the remaining thirty sections, twenty species were not found in Nordlinger’s work until his second volume of Querschinitte was published three years later in 1858. The remaining ten sections do not appear until volume III of Quischinette, not issued until another three years following volume II in 1861. These alterations are clearly customizations to meet the anticipated needs of the French-issued work. Nordlinger was the sole author of all fourteen volumes of Quischinette and several other abridged versions in English and Russian. shed light on why Nordlinger coauthored the French edition with A. Auguste Mathieu, while the fifteen other issues of his life’s work list him as the sole author. 

A. Auguste Mathieu (1814-1892)

Mathieu, a Professor at the École Forestière in Nancy, apparently collaborated with Nordlingger to customize the content of 60 Transversales to fit with the coursework prescribed by the French forestry school. Mathieu was also the author of the dendrology text used at Forestiere. The book, Flore Forestiere, was sectioned by species, descriptively covering all physical attributes of each type of tree. Every one of these has a paragraph describing the closely examined section of wood from each species. Details that could be observed in Nordlinger’s sections. However, Nordlinger is not mentioned in the text, nor is the book 60 Transversales, which the two coauthored.  

Mathieu began his academic journey at the École Forestière, where he taught natural history, beginning with botany for second-division students. In October 1838, under the newly appointed director, Mr. Parade, Mathieu was appointed as the permanent professor of natural history, a position he held for 42 years. During this time, he significantly advanced the academic rigor of natural history studies at the institution, surpassing the achievements of his predecessors.

In addition to his teaching role, Mathieu contributed to the administrative landscape of the École Forestière, becoming assistant director in 1863 in recognition of his scholarly contributions. His legacy was further immortalized by the school when it commissioned a marble bust, displayed in the area housing the natural history collection he curated.

In 1872, a fundraising initiative led by students, both French and international, established the “Mathieu Prize,” which received notable support from contributors in England, Belgium, and Germany. Contributors were thanked with a miniature bust of Mathieu. After retiring in 1880, Mathieu left a lasting impact by publishing the fourth edition of Flore Forestière and reissuing his Atlas of Forest Entomology, along with various works on mineralogy and forest product chemistry.

His contemporary at the School of Forestry, Marie Charles Eugene Guyot (1845-1930), who later became deputy director in 1893, noted in his historical account of the school the presence of Hermann Nordlinger’s “Coupes de Bois” in the school’s collection; however, he did not acknowledge Mathieu’s direct involvement with this work.

Physical Description of 60 Transversales

The volume’s physical dimensions are 4.75 inches in depth, 7 inches in height, and 1.25 inches in thickness, matching those of “Querschnitte von Hundert Holzarten,” except for an additional two inches in thickness. Each specimen is meticulously mounted within a fold of its own protective, semi-gloss, thin, white, unbound paper, measuring 5 x 8 inches. An oval cut-out is incorporated into each page, allowing for visual examination of the wood slices without the necessity of unfolding the protective paper. In addition to the sixty wood sections, the volume comprises a title page, an introductory note, and an index. The collection is housed in a cardboard box designed to mimic a book spine. One side of the box, representing the spine, is embellished with red leather featuring an embossed title in gold leaf, while the remaining three edges display a decorative design reminiscent of embellishments typically found on book page edges from the nineteenth century. The top and back covers are constructed from black faux leather, and the entire box is designed to slide into a protective black cardboard sleeve, which secures the covers and prevents the unbound pages from spilling out when stored vertically, akin to a conventional book. The dimensions and appearance of “60 Sections Transversales” are nearly identical to the works comprising Nordlinger’s “Querschnitte von Hundert Holzarten,” differing only in terms of thickness. The box’s outer edge is clad in red leather simulating a text spine, featuring an embossed gold pattern alongside the collection’s title, “60 Sections Transversales De Bois.” The remaining sides are wrapped in ornate paper that emulates the decorative page edges characteristic of historical publications. Upon opening the cover, the title page becomes immediately visible alongside a black silk ribbon. Lifting the ribbon reveals the comprehensive collection of wood section pages, facilitating the careful extraction of each specimen. Each page is equipped with an oval viewing port, enabling thorough inspection of the specimen it contains. When not in use, the box and its collection can be seamlessly inserted into a protective black cardboard sleeve, which ensures that the cover remains securely closed when positioned on a bookshelf. The wood samples contained within Nordlinger’s “60 Sections Transversales” measure three-thousandths of an inch (76 microns) in thickness, whereas the paper utilized for the folded sheets containing them is 152 microns thick, notable for being half the thickness of the specimens. For comparative purposes, standard contemporary inkjet print paper typically measures 216 microns in thickness.

A Rare Xylotheque 

According to the World Catalog of Books, only seventeen copies of Nordlinger’s “60 Sections Transversales” currently remain in institutional holdings. In the United States, the nearest copy can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Although there are copies in private collections, the exact number remains unknown. The wooden shavings from various tree species not only constitute the content of this volume but also raise questions regarding its classification—should it be categorized as a book suitable for library storage or as a botanical collection more appropriate for a herbarium?

Nordlinger’s French Connection

Between 1838 and 1840, Nordlinger pursued his studies at the University of Tübingen, where he distinguished himself in the state Forestry Service Examination. His accomplishments garnered the attention of Cunin Gridaine, the French Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, who subsequently appointed Nordlinger as a Professor of Forestry at the École Régionale d’Agriculture de Grand-Jouan in Brittany. To adequately prepare for this position, Nordlinger dedicated the winter of 1842-1843 to training at the forestry school, where he sought to familiarize himself with French administrative practices and the specialized terminology pertinent to forestry. During this period, he enrolled in courses on botany and forestry, where he formed a lasting friendship with the botanist and entomologist Antoine Auguste Mathieu. Their correspondence continued until their respective passes in 1890.

While studying at the forestry school in Nancy, Nordlinger undertook scientific field trips to Brittany and the Sansens von Brest, where he investigated timber lamination. He chronicled his findings in two scholarly papers: “Mémoire sur les Essences forestières de la Bretagne” (1845), which omits references to varnish, sections, or lamellae, and “Essai sur les formations Géologiques de Grand-Jouan” (1847). Nordlinger tendered his resignation from his teaching position at Grand-Jouan upon being offered a professorship in forestry at the Institute Hohenheim, commencing on May 21, 1845. In December 1851, he was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Natural Sciences Department of the Medical Faculty at the University of Tübingen.

By 1855, Nordlinger had attained the status of the first professor of forestry at the institute, during which time he commenced the publication of significant works focusing on the comparative technical properties and microstructures of various wood species—an area of specialization he diligently pursued until his retirement in 1891 due to declining health. Upon his retirement from academia, Nordlinger received the Knight’s Cross First Class of the Order of Frederick, together with the Crown of the Order of the Crown of Württemberg.

 Flore Forestière detailed the characteristics of numerous tree species and was first published in 1858, with subsequent revised editions released until his death. In October 1838, under the direction of Mr. Parade, Mathieu was appointed as the permanent professor of natural history, a position he retained for 42 years.

The brown tone commonly seen in old photographs is achieved through a process called sepia toning. This technique was developed in the early days of albumen printing, which began around 1850. Sepia toning involves soaking a print in silver sulfide, which stabilizes silver nitrate by converting it into silver sulfate. This process helps prevent fading and gives the prints their distinctive brown hue, characteristic of older photographs. Albumen prints are made by coating paper with a mixture of silver nitrate and albumen, a substance made by filtering egg whites. Once the coating is dry, it creates a natural, high-gloss finish. However, this reflective surface can present challenges when scanning with modern scanners. The paper used for albumen prints is very smooth, making background fibers nearly invisible in the images. Due to the thinness of the paper, these prints are typically mounted on a thicker cardstock, such as a carte de visite, for support and to keep them flat. Despite being sandwiched between the pages of a book for over a century, a print of the Forestry School still shows signs of curling. This particular print was found inside the book “L’Enseignement Forestier en France” and contains no additional information. 

 

 

 

The first specimen-containing page in 60 Transections carries a stamp by Nordlinger advising the reader that the wood sections contained in the work received commendations from judges at two world exhibitions held in London. Only the top page in the collection carries the stamp. The first and following pages are sequentially numbered in pencil. Most likely, the numbers were added by an earlier owner, but they do not correspond with the order of the pages in the table of contents. An oval sticker is attached at the upper left corner of each page, identifying the specimen inside.

The initial specimen-containing page in the collection titled “60 Transections” features a stamp from Nordlinger, which informs the reader that the wood sections included in the work received accolades from judges at two world exhibitions held in London. Notably, this stamp appears only on the top page of the collection. The first and subsequent pages are sequentially numbered in pencil. It is likely that these numbers were inscribed by a previous owner; however, they do not align with the order presented in the table of contents. Each page is accompanied by an oval sticker affixed to the upper left corner, designating the specific specimen it contains.

Abies excelsa, commonly known as Norway Spruce, was initially classified by Linnaeus under the scientific name Pinus abies. Recent advancements in taxonomy have resulted in the reclassification of this genus, leading to the current designation of the tree as Picea abies.

 

Comparison With Querschnitte von Hundert Holzarten Shows 60 Sections Transversales for the École Impériale Forestière de Nancy To Be Uniquely Customized.

At first glance, “60 Sections Transversales” may appear to be a condensed French adaptation of “100 Querschnitte.” However, a thorough comparison reveals that the French edition duplicates only half of its predecessor’s thirty species, leaving thirty sections unique to “60 Sections Transversales.” This indicates that the collection was specifically tailored to address the forestry education requirements at the École Impériale Forestière de Nancy in collaboration with Mathieu. Notably, twenty of the newly introduced wood samples in “60 Sections Transversales” are incorporated in Volume II of “100 Querschnitte,” published a year later, while the remaining ten new wood sections did not appear until Volume III was released six years later, in 1861.

How to footnote this page:  Reiser, Frank W. (2025), Nordlinger’s and Mathieu’s 60 Transversales, Available at: https://wp.me/PaLJ0g-1B6

References

Ben Bubner (2008) The Wood Cross Sections of Hermann Nordlinger (1818–1897) IAWA Journal, Vol. 29 (4), 2008: 439–457

Graner, Freidrich v. (1892) In memory of Chief Forestry Officer Dr. Hermann v. Nördlinger

Guyot, Charles (1898) l’Enseignement Forestier en Francel” l’Ecole De Nancy. Crepin-Leblond

Mathieu, Auguste (1876) Flore Forestiere: Description et Histoirie Vegetaux Ligneux. 3rd Ed.  J. B. Bailliere, Paris

Nordlinger, Hermann, Auguste Mathieu (1855) 60 Sections Transverales for the École Impériale Forestière de Nancy, text by A. Mathieu. Cotta, Stuttgar

Rösler, Rudolf, (1999) “Nördlinger, Hermann von” in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 19 S. 316-317 [online version]; URL: https://www.deutschebiographie.de/pnd117038601.html#ndbconten