American Museum of Natural History. Hall of Mollusks and Mankind.

Exist Dates

1975 - 1996

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Permanent exhibition. Opened December 1975 and closed approximately 1996. Located on Floor 1, Section 9. The Hall of Mollusks and Mankind at the American Museum of Natural History presented exhibits on the role of mollusks in human culture and economy (1, 1974/75, p. 4). The curators for the hall were William K. Emerson, Roger Batten, William E. Old, and Harold S. Feinberg from the Department of Living and Fossil Invertebrates, and it was designed by Henry Gardiner of the Exhibition Department (1, 1974/75 p. 14; 1, 1971/72 p. 27; 1, 1972/73, p. 31).

Planning and construction of the Hall of Mollusks and Mankind took place between 1971 and 1975 (1, 1971/72, p. 27). Drawing on humans' relationship with shells as well as the biological and technical aspects of malacology, exhibits in the hall included The World of Mollusks, Life and Light, Shell Growth, Spirals and Shell Variation, Reproduction and Development, The Shell as Material, Status, Wealth, Daily Life, and Shells in Architecture (2).

Sources

(1) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Reports. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1971/72-1974/75.

(2) American Museum of Natural History. Research Library Digital Special Collections, accessed July 10, 2017, http://images.library.amnh.org/digital

Information for the hall appears in the following Museum publications:

American Museum of Natural History Annual Reports for years: 1971 (page 27); 1972 (page 7, 12); 1973 (page 15, 32); 1974 (page 4, 7); 1975 (page 14); 1978 (page 7); 1979 (page 3); 1982 (page 58); 1984 (page 59)

American Museum of Natural History Official Guides for years: 1984 (page 17); 1993 (page 7)

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

Arctic Art: The Harry Goldsmith Collection of Inuit Soapstone Sculptures (Exhibition)
associated dates: 1991 June 14-1992 January

Batten, Roger Lyman
Curator for hall (1, 1974/75, p. 17).

Collector's Choice: Seashells of Nathan L. Halpern (Exhibition)
associated dates: 1985 June 18-1985 August

Emerson, William K.
Curator for hall (1, 1974/75 p. 17).

Feinberg, Harold S.
Curator for hall (1, 1971/72, p. 27).

Gardiner, Henry 1916-
Exhibition Department, designed hall (1, 1972/73, p. 31).

Old, William E.
Curator for hall (1, 1971/72, p. 27).

Related Resources

subjectOf

Historic Halls of the American Museum of Natural History
Curated digital images of permanent halls in the American Museum of Natural History Library, Digital Special Collections.

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