Hilda Canter-Lund collection

Scope and Content

Contains personal and scientific correspondence and papers including

  • papers regarding her to early career, including student notes and lecture notes
  • correspondence to publication of book 'Freshwater algae', including original B&W prints
  • correspondence in relation to her photographs published by others
  • Correspondence regarding samples and fungi, including with A.E. Bailey Watts

papers regarding taxonomic studies

Field notebooks, sampling records, experimental notebooks, and drawings on algae and fungi, for Lake District Lakes

Samples of algae

photographs and transparancies on algae and fungi

Annotated papers and books

Administrative / Biographical History

Hilda Canter Lund, born in 1922 was an expert on the fungi that parasitize freshwater algae, has studied protozoan parasites that kill algae and taken photographs of microscopic organisms. Canter Lund was born in Highbury, London. She gained her B.S in botany, zoology, physics from Bedford College based in Cambridge (in the war). She also returned to London to take a diploma in education. In 1945 she held a university of London postgraduate studentship at Queen Mary college in F. Fritsch botany department. A second studentship in 1946 meant that she could continue her research on fungi in Wray castle (FBA) with C.T. Ingold as her supervisor, and was appointed as a mycologist at the FBA in 1948. She married John Lund, an expert in algae in 1949, and took part time employment in 1952 because of family commitments and illness. She received a D.S.c from Queen Mary college in 1955 on the basis of her published papers, and received a fellowship of the Royal photographic society in 1965, and individual special merit promotion by the Civil Service partnership in 1976.Together with John Lund they compiled Freshwater algae; their microscopic world explored and received the Prescott award in 1997 from the American Phycological Society for publication of the best book about algae. Canter Lund has published over 74 papers, 25 in collaboration with other colleagues. The British Mycological Society awarded Canter Lund their Benefactor's medal in November 1991 and in 1996 was elected a centennial fellow of the society. (Haines 2001: 54-55)

References: Haines, Catherine 2001: international women in science. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.] : ABC-CLIO, 2001.

Access Information

Contact dis@fba.org.uk to make an appointment

Geographical Names