The American Botanical Council (ABC) is the new owner of the late Steven Foster's medicinal and aromatic plant photography collection. The series consists of over 1,700 medicinal and aromatic plant species accurately identified through more than 150,000 photos, many of which were taken by the late photographer throughout his travels to Argentina, Armenia, Belize, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, England, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Peru, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, and other parts of the world. A former member of the ABC Board of Trustees and a regular contributor of the HerbalGram, Foster authored several feature-length articles and is credited with having contributed hundreds of medicinal plant photos of which at least 60 were featured on the publication's cover. “For more than 40 years, Steven was a close personal friend and colleague and a primary contributor to ABC’s nonprofit research and educational mission, publications, and programs,” shared ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. “Steven’s intelligence, botanical knowledge, insightful and deeply informed writing, and his compelling photography were an integral part of the development and evolution of HerbalGram and ABC."
Continuing Foster's legacy
Foster's untimely death in January 2022 created a unique arrangement between his estate and ABC, granting them permission and access to continue using his photos in various publications and communications including ABC's website, issues of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP), HerbalGram, ABC’s monthly newsletter HerbalEGram, ABC’s weekly newsletter Herbal News & Events, and other titles. Under the new accord, ABC will have full rights to all of the photographer's images and their credit will read: Photo by Steven Foster ©2025 ABC. “Securing the ownership of Steven Foster’s photography library is an exciting new chapter for HerbalGram and all of ABC’s various programs and publications. Steven’s photography has been a foundational — and visually stunning — part of the organization from early on. As a fellow photographer, I am grateful to be able to honor Steven and to continue to share his quintessential photographic legacy through ABC’s stewardship moving forward," shared ABC Art Director Matt Magruder.
Honoring his work
HerbalGram issue 133 featured a special pictorial memorial for Steven Foster highlighting some of his medicinal plant photography which were also spotlighted in the current issue, number 143. "Steven’s ‘plant’s eye view’ was nothing short of extraordinary, and this is reflected in all of the artistic and scientific work that he did over so many decades. He was enthusiastic and generous about sharing his talents as a photographer and providing his guidance to anyone who asked for his advice, regardless of their level of botanical sophistication. When I invited him to illustrate the third edition of the Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Springer, 2017], he provided his best work, and the photos that grace the pages of this reference book are not only useful for identification in cases of suspected poisoning, but also works of beautifully composed botanical art. We all miss Steven, who left us prematurely, and I am grateful to ABC and its donors for ensuring that this part of his legacy will endure, educating and captivating us all for many more decades," commented Michael J. Balick, Ph.D., member of ABC’s Board of Trustees and Vice President for Botanical Science, Director and Senior Philecology Curator of the Institute of Economic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden.
Furthering their commitment to honoring the late Foster, ABC created the ABC Steven Foster Excellence in Botanical Conservation and Sustainability Award. Winners will be presented with an award during the annual ABC Celebration that takes place during the Natural Products Expo West show. “It has been ABC’s goal not only to provide authoritative, reliable, science-based information on herbs and medicinal plants, but also to show the beauty of these plants, which we have done for decades thanks in large part to Steven’s incredibly beautiful photos,” added Blumenthal. “Now, ABC has the opportunity to continue its nonprofit educational mission with Steven’s photos and to help expand the herb community and general public’s awareness of and appreciation for Steven’s remarkable photographic legacy."
