Hieronymus Harder

Harder was born in Meersburg in the Lake Constance region of Germany, but part of his youth was spent in Bregenz, where his father taught from 1535 onwards.

In 1560 Harder was examined in Ulm for the post of Latin Master and from 1561 taught at Geislingen an der Steige, and in 1571–72 in Bad Überkingen.

From 1562 he put together some twelve volumes of plant collections - these being some of the earliest of the type known as Herbarium vivum in which missing parts of the specimens are represented by coloured drawings.

These he passed on to prominent officials, including Duke Albrecht of Bavaria, who gave him financial support and tenure of his post.

Eleven of the twelve volumes are known and are kept in Heidelberg (the oldest from 1562 and in private hands), München (1574, 1576), the Vatican (1574), Salzburg (1592), Ulm (1594), Vienna (1599), Linz (1599), Überlingen, Zürich (1592, 1594) and Lindau (1607).