Doris Holmes Blake, ''née'' Doris Mildred Holmes (January 11, 1892 – December 3, 1978), was an American

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

and

scientific illustrator Technical illustration is illustration meant to visually communicate information of a technical nature. Technical illustrations can be components of technical drawings or diagrams. Technical illustrations in general aim "to generate expressive im ...

. She was an expert on

chrysomelidae The beetle family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as leaf beetles, includes over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making it one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous s ...

(leaf beetles).

Life

Doris Holmes was raised in a middle-class family in

Stoughton, Massachusetts Stoughton (official name: Town of Stoughton) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 29,281 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is located approximately from Boston, from Providence, Rh ...

. She earned a B.A. from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in 1913 and an M.A. in Zoology and Psychology from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

in 1917. While at Boston University she worked as a clerk at the Boston Psychopathic Hospital, and she became a member of

Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Delta Pi (), commonly known as ADPi (pronounced "ay-dee-pye"), is an International Panhellenic sorority founded on May 15, 1851, at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. It is the oldest secret society for women. Alpha Delta Pi is a member ...

.''The Adelphean of Alpha Delta Pi'', Vol. 9, p 137. 1916 article about her working on a degree at Radcliffe after graduating from BU. Also ''Adelphean,'' Vol. 11, p. 263 has the announcement of her marriage to Sidney Fay Blake, Ph.D. Marrying the botanist and plant taxonomist

Sidney Fay Blake Sidney Fay Blake (1892–1959) was an American botanist and plant taxonomist, "recognized as one of the world's experts on botanical nomenclature." Biography Blake was born in 1892 in Stoughton, Massachusetts. In 1912, he received a bachelor's d ...

in 1918, she worked for the

Bureau of Entomology The Bureau of Entomology was a unit within the Federal government of the United States from 1894 to 1934. It developed from a section of the Department of Agriculture which had been working on entomological researches and allied issues relating to ...

of the United States Department of Agriculture from 1919 to 1928. From 1928 she worked at the Department of

Entomology Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

of the

United States National Museum The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

. Forced to resign in 1933 by her husband's employment at the Department (the law prohibited more than one member of a family holding a government position), she continued studying

beetles Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

as an unpaid Associate of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

until her death. Some of Blake's entomological and botanical sketches, as well as her non-academic writing, are also included. The papers also include a number of photographs of Blake and her family and of entomologists, both at the Smithsonian and at USDA. Her papers are held by the Smithsonian Institution.

Works

*
A review of the beetles of the genus Disonycha occurring in America north of Mexico
', 1934. Smithsonian Institution. * ''A study of LeConte's species of the chrysomelid genus Graphops with descriptions of some new species'', 1955 * ''A review of the beetles of the genus Neobrotica and some closely related genera'', 1966. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, v. 118, no. 3529. * ''A review of the beetles of the genus Metachroma Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)'', 1970. Smithsonian contributions to zoology, no. 57. * ''The costate species of Colaspis in the United States (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)'', 1974. Smithsonian contributions to zoology, no. 181. *
The brown semicostate and costate species of Colaspis in Mexico and Central America (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
', 1976. Technical bulletin (United States. Dept. of Agriculture), no. 1534.

References

External links

Doris Holmes Blake Papers, 1899-1985
from the

Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is an institutional archives and library system comprising 21 branch libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. The Libraries and Archives serve Smithsonian Institution ...

Transcriptions of Doris Holmes Blake Papers
1899-1985, from th
Smithsonian Transcription Center
*
Doris Blake: The Courtly Coleopterist
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Doris Holmes People from Stoughton, Massachusetts American women entomologists Coleopterists Smithsonian Institution people 1892 births 1978 deaths American scientific illustrators 20th-century American women scientists Radcliffe College alumni Boston University alumni 20th-century American zoologists American women illustrators