Joseph Dalton Hooker was a pioneer plant photographer. After returning form the Antartic and working on fossil plants as a member of the geological Survey of Great Britan, he sought the opportunity to study the vegetation on mountains in the tropics. In 1847, helped by a small grant from the treasury, he sailed for India. In 1848-49 from the headquaters at Darjeeling, he explored Sikkim, and Eastern Nepal, reaching the Tibetan passes. His keen observation in many fields is shown in his "Himalayan Journals" first published in 1854.
