Goodale was convinced that Blaschka's glass art was a worthy investment for Harvard, which was a global centre for the study of botany. At that time, botanical specimens were almost entirely showcased as dried, pressed and labeled specimens called "specimina exsiccata" (dried specimens), but this presented a number of problems. Pressed plant specimens were two-dimensional and tended to lose their color and form, making them difficult to use as accurate teaching tools. Dried specimens were also quite heavy and bulky, making their transport and storage expensive. Having already seen the intact Blaschka models at Harvard, Professor Goodale decided to commission the glass flowers.