THE BEST OF LONDON’S NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

THE BEST OF LONDON’S NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

‘The Natural History Museum has one of the most historically and scientifically important natural history collections in the world – more than 80 million animals, plants, minerals, rocks and fossils from across the globe.’

Sir Michael Dixon Director

CONTENTS

Exhibition summary 8 A journey through the exhibition 9Section 1: Introduction 14Section 2: Building nature’s treasure house 16 Section 3: Treasures of the mind 18 Section 4: Treasures of exploration 20Section 5: Treasures of life are everywhere 22Section 6: A museum for a modern world 24Audience appeal 28 Exhibition details 29 Technical information 30

EXHIBITION SUMMARY

Treasures of the Natural World brings together the best of our collection – specimens and objects selected for their scientific, historic and cultural importance and for their colourful and personal stories of people and events. From the pigeons Charles Darwin studied to test his theory of evolution by natural selection to medicines belonging to Sir Hans Sloane, the royal physician whose immense collection became the nucleus of the Museum, each has a unique and significant part to play. This exhibition captures, both physically and intellectually, the essence not only of our collection and our scientific work but of exploring the Museum as a visitor.

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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE EXHIBITION

Treasures of the Natural World brings the awe and wonder of the Natural History Museum in London through the best of our collections, compelling storytelling and rich media.

Fascinating and rare objects and specimens will inspire visitors to explore how our collection has been, and still is, used to build our understanding of the natural world. Film and text will reveal the captivating stories behind every carefully chosen object. CGI will surprise and delight, bringing the Museum’s unique collections vividly to life.

Scientific, cultural and historical narrative threads weave through these treasures. They follow expeditions crucial in increasing our understanding of the natural world. They tell of great scientific discoveries past and present. They bring to life scientific pioneers and important historical figures.

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Treasures of the Natural World at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan, 2017. © The Yomiuri Shimbun

TREASURES OF THE NATURAL WORLD IS ORGANISED INTO SIX MAIN SECTIONS:

ENTRANCE

EXIT

2 Building nature’s treasure house• Sir Hans Sloane and the creation of the

British Museum• Science in the Age of Reason

1650–1800• Sir Richard Owen and the foundation of

the Natural History Museum

1 Introduction

4 Treasures of exploration• Pacific crossing• fathoming the deep• Antarctica and the science of sub-zero• collecting to order: Walter Rothschild and

the Natural History Museum at Tring

3 Treasures of the mind• Carl Linnaeus and the task of naming

the natural world• Sir Richard Owen: master of

comparative anatomy• uncovering Earth’s history• Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution

5 Treasures of life are everywhere• a rich record of nature• treasures of ever-changing life

6 A museum for a modern world• Earth’s treasury• treasures of the future

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Treasures of the Natural World at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan, 2017. © The Yomiuri Shimbun

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SECTION 1

INTRODUCTION

The exhibition starts by exploring how natural treasures can come in a range of different guises, from the rare Queen Alexandra’s birdwing – the largest butterfly in the world – to a lifelike glass octopus, or a bird illustrated by John James Audubon – one of the greatest natural history artists of all time. They are all true treasures of the natural world, but their value today goes far beyond price.

Suggested specimen

Blaschka glass modelThe impeccable detail of the glass sea creatures crafted by father-and-son team Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka make them true works of art. But with no apprentices, the secret of their techniques died with them. No one has been able to replicate their incredible work. The pieces were created between 1866 and 1889 as a means to display invertebrates, such as sea anemones, octopuses, squid, jellyfishes, radiolarians, amoebas and corals.

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Glass octopus created by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka.

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SECTION 2

BUILDING NATURE’S TREASURE HOUSE

The Natural History Museum put down its roots in a time of intense rational thought now called the Age of Reason, which began in seventeenth-century Europe. No one embodied that age more than Sir Hans Sloane. Driven by a passion for understanding the world around him, he amassed a private collection of more than 400,000 specimens. After his death his collection formed the basis of the British Museum. When the natural history collections outgrew their home the eminent scientist Sir Richard Owen campaigned for a separate museum. The Natural History Museum opened its doors to the public in 1881.

Suggested specimen

Sir Hans Sloane’s medicine drawerThis drawer contains ingredients for the preparation of medicines once owned by the wealthy royal physician Sir Hans Sloane, whose collection became the foundation of the British Museum, and later the Natural History Museum. Held in high esteem, Sloane was the President of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal Society, but is most famous for his insatiable appetite for collecting. Sloane amassed one of the largest private collections of plants, animals and antiquities ever made, which he bequeathed to the nation in 1753.

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Sir Hans Sloane’s medicine drawer. Sloane’s personal collection was

the foundation of the British Museum, sections of which became the

Natural History Museum.

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SECTION 3

TREASURES OF THE MIND

Our treasures reveal the people behind the scientific discoveries that changed and advanced our understanding of the natural world, from the Enlightenment to the present day. Visitors will discover how these priceless specimens inspired scientists to answer some of Earth’s great mysteries, providing insights into the greatest scientific minds. Many of these great thinkers continue to be important cultural icons in the public consciousness, others are less well known, but all continue to inspire current scientific research.

Suggested specimen

Darwin’s finches, mockingbirds and pigeonsGalápagos island finches and mockingbirds provided important evidence for Darwin’s revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection. Each bird’s beak is adapted to the particular habitat or food source of the island on which it lived. This, in combination with his later studies of selectively bred pigeons, led him to realise that if it was possible to manipulate the characteristics of a single species in captivity, perhaps the environment could manipulate all species in the wild. Darwin’s radical theory of evolution by natural selection revolutionised our understanding of the natural world.

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A finch and mockingbird collected in the Galápagos Islands during

Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle, next to a pigeon skeleton that he studied

on his return to England.

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SECTION 4

TREASURES OF EXPLORATION

The adventures and trials of the pioneers of scientific exploration are vividly told through stories from great voyages of discovery. From Captain James Cook’s first voyage to Australia to Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to reach the South Pole and HMS Challenger’s 1872 exploration of the deep oceans, each yielded vital scientific evidence and inspiring tales of human endeavour.

Suggested specimen

HMS Challenger slides, corals and sediment samplesWhen HMS Challenger set out on the first major scientific investigation of the oceans in 1872 many experts argued that nothing could live in water deeper than 550 metres. The scientists on board put this to the test, making detailed observations and recording water temperatures, ocean currents and seafloor depths. They collected samples and specimens and found life at depths of more than eight kilometres. The wealth of evidence the expedition brought back revolutionised our knowledge of the deep sea at that time.

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Corals, slides and sediment samples collected on the

HMS Challenger expedition (1872–1876).

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SECTION 5

TREASURES OF LIFE ARE EVERYWHERE

Many of the treasures in this exhibition reveal how nature’s diversity is shaped by the environment and the ability of species to adapt to it. Extinct creatures, such as the dodo and the Tasmanian tiger, demonstrate human impact on the diversity of life, while the discovery of new species hints at an ever evolving variety, much of which is still to be explored.

Suggested specimen

Barbary lion This lion once lived in the royal menagerie at the Tower of London, the monarch’s personal collection of wild and exotic beasts. It was excavated from the tower’s moat in 1937 and has been radiocarbon dated to between 1420 and 1480. By studying the skull, Museum scientists found evidence of the lion’s poor diet in captivity. Fed only parts of other animals, it did not receive as many nutrients as it would have done from eating whole carcases in the wild. Analysis of the lion’s DNA shows it was a pure-breed north African Barbary lion, a species now extinct in the wild.

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North African Barbary lion skull, Panthera leo leo, from the royal

menagerie in the Tower of London (1280–1385). © Thom Atkinson

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SECTION 6

A MUSEUM FOR A MODERN WORLD

The unique treasures we care for at the Natural History Museum form a record of nature that has global significance. Actively studied by researchers around the world, they allow us to tackle the biggest challenges facing our planet today. From predicting and mitigating the impact of climate change to managing natural resources, these collections are of incredible importance to everyone. They hold the key to unlocking the potential of the future through the mysteries of the past.

Suggested specimen

Latrobe nugget This is one of the largest and finest groupings of cubic gold crystals in the world, and one of only a handful to have ever been discovered. It is named in honour of Charles Joseph Latrobe, the Governor of the State of Victoria, Australia, who was visiting the McIvor mine in 1853 when it was discovered there.

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The Latrobe gold nugget.

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Treasures of the Natural World at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan, 2017. © The Yomiuri Shimbun

AUDIENCE APPEAL

The variety of specimens in Treasures of the Natural World, and the diversity of the stories they tell, have the ability to appeal to many different audiences and learning styles, and have real potential to stimulate learning. Research from the Museum’s permanent Treasures gallery shows that visitors are fascinated by these objects and stories, particularly when they have a historical and cultural dimension. They enjoy seeing what we consider treasures to be and why, and are especially drawn to specimens that are connected to well-known events or personalities. The beautiful surroundings of the Natural History Museum’s Waterhouse building add an extra dimension for visitors, enhancing the unique quality of each object.

Interpretation is designed to work on a number of different levels, allowing the flexibility to accommodate different types of visitors and different learning styles.

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EXHIBITION DETAILS Collection highlights

• items belonging to Sir Hans Sloane whose collection formed the core of the Natural History Museum and the British Museum

• a finch and a mockingbird collected on Charles Darwin’s Beagle voyage, which led him to his theory of evolution by natural section

• a Martian meteorite

• bones from a dinosaur first described by Sir Richard Owen in his paper where he coined the term dinosaur

• beetles collected by the famous explorer Dr David Livingstone

• watercolours produced on Captain James Cook’s first voyage by the artist Sydney Parkinson

• fossils collected on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s fateful expedition to the South Pole

Supporting interpretation

Digital media assets:

• a short scene-setting digital projection of the Museum’s iconic Waterhouse building past and present

• exhibition film, including interviews with three Museum experts

• touchscreens exploring: » a selection of bird illustrations from Audubon’s masterpiece The Birds of America

» William Smith’s ground-breaking geological map of Britain

• state-of-the-art CGI film clips that bring extinct creatures featured in the exhibition to life

A series of CGI film clips of creatures, including the dodo and the sabre-toothed cat, brings the specimens to life.

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Developed as a package for a 1,000-metre-squared (10,763-square-feet) display space, the exhibition consists of the following components:

• more than 200 star objects from the Natural History Museum’s expansive collections, with bespoke mounts

• full text of the exhibition, including section and sub-section panels, labels for objects and supporting images

• digital media assets: » scene-setting digital projection » exhibition film » two touchscreens » CGI film clips

• set of fine art crates for the objects to travel to and from the venue

• a selection of related retail and publishing products for purchase as an optional add-on package

The Natural History Museum will prepare the specimens for travel in fine art crates and install/exit at the hosting venue. Hosting institutions are responsible for producing the 3D and 2D designs for the exhibition, as well as supplying and installing the showcases and set works to security and conservation specifications.

The objects shown are for illustrative purposes. Final object lists will be confirmed with each venue.

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Treasures of the Natural World licensed products.

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CONTACT US

Touring Exhibitions The Natural History MuseumCromwell Road London SW7 5BDUK+44 (0)20 7942 6245

touring@nhm.ac.uk