Natural History Illustrated: An Exhibition of the Art of Illustrating the Natural Sciences (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

1965 July 13 - 1966 September

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened July 13, 1965 and closed September 1966. Located in Section 5, Floor 2 in the Corner Gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. Natural History Illustrated featured 60 rare books, engravings, paintings, and field notebooks selected from the Museum's collections. It was curated by George Goodwin, the Museum Librarian.

Summary

Natural History Illustrated featured 60 rare books, engravings, paintings, and field notebooks selected from the Museum's collections. It was curated by George Goodwin, the Museum Librarian. The works exhibited illustrated the role of the artist in the natural sciences and was recorded as the first time a sizable number of rare material from the Library were on view (1, p. 1; 2, p. 6). The exhibition material was installed in crimson-backed, softly-lit cases to suggest a candle lit environment (3, p. 9).

Mediums included (1, p. 1):

*Woodcuts

*Copper engravings

*Oil paintings

*Watercolors

*Lithographs

Highlights (1, p. 1-3):

*Hand-colored print, Great White Heron from John James Audubon's elephant folio, Birds of America with the copper plate from the original drawing featured in center glass case

*The oldest book in the exhibition was Hortus Sanitatus (1536), a handbook of animals, plants, medicinal remedies, and health diets with woodcuts of a panther, centaur and giraffe

*Petit Voyages by Theodore De Bry with copper-plate engraving of animals of India including an elephant, rhinoceros, and crocodile

*Black and white engraving of the compound eye of a fly from Robert Hooke's Micrographia

*A life-sized illustration of a hog-nose snake from The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands by Mark Catesby

*Colored etchings of a frog and alligator from John Holbrook's North American Herpetology

*Paintings by John James Audubon, John Woodhouse Audubon, George Catlin, Joseph Wolf, and Samuel Seymour

This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.

Sources

(1) American Museum of Natural History. Press Release. "Old and Rare Illustrations from the Natural Sciences Seen in New Exhibition." July 13, 1965. Departmental Records, DR 101. American Museum of Natural History Library.

(2) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Reports, Departmental. "Annual Report for Fiscal 1965-1966 [Library]." June 29, 1966. Departmental Records, DR 098. American Museum of Natural History Library.

(3) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Reports, Departmental. "Report from the Chairman of the Department of Exhibition and Graphic Arts 1 July 1965 – 30 June 1966." [1966]. Departmental Records, DR 098. American Museum of Natural History Library.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. Corner Gallery.
Location of exhibition 1965 July 13 – 1966 September (1, p. 1)

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Library Services.
Material on view was part of the Museum Library's collections (1, p. 1)

Audubon, John James 1785-1851
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Audubon, John Woodhouse 1812-1862
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Bry, Theodore de, 1528-1598
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Catesby, Mark, 1683-1749
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Catlin, George 1796-1872
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Clerck, Carl (Carl Alexander), 1710-1765
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Goodwin, George H.
Curator, Museum librarian (1, p. 1)

Holbrook, John Edwards, 1794-1871
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Hooke, Robert, 1635-1703
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Peale, Titian Ramsay 1799-1885
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Wolf, Joseph 1820-1899
Featured artist (1, p. 1-3)

Related Resources

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1965-1966: 76, 78-80.

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1966-1967: 74.

American Museum of Natural History annual reports, 1902-2001.
"Annual Report for Fiscal 1965-1966 [Library]." June 29, 1966. ; "Report from the Chairman of the Department of Exhibition and Graphic Arts 1 July 1965 – 30 June 1966." [1966].

American Museum of Natural History Special Collections photographic drawers
Repository: AMNH Special Collections. [Black and white photo prints of exhibition on view]

American Museum of Natural History press releases, 1933-1990s.
"Old and Rare Illustrations from the Natural Sciences Seen in New Exhibition." July 13, 1965.

Buffalo Chase with Bows and Lances / LR "G. Catlin"
Date of resource: 1855

Canada Porcupine / LL "J.J.A./New York"
Date of resource: 1842

Caroli Clerck, Reg. Soc. Scient. Upsal. membr., Icones insectorum rariorum : cum nominibus eorum trivialibus, locisqve e C. Linnaei ... Syst. nat. allegatis.
Date of resource: 1759-[1764]

Geoffroy's Cat / LR " J. Wolf"
Date of resource: 1873

Hortus sanitatis, quatuor libris haec quae snbsequuntur [sic] complectens. De animalibus & reptilibus. De avibus & volatilibus. De piscibus & natatilibus. De gemmis & in vevis [sic] terrae nascentibus ... Omnia castigatius, quam hactenus videre licuit ...
Date of resource: 1536

Mexican Marmot Squirrel.
Date of resource: ca. 1840s.

Micrographia: or, Some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses. With observations and inquiries thereupon. by R. Hooke.
Date of resource: 1667

North American herpetology; or, A description of the reptiles inhabiting the United States. By John Edwards Holbrook.
Date of resource: 1842

Original portraits of Indian chiefs [art original] / by Samuel Seymour, official artist of Long's Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, 1819-1920.
Date of resource: 1822

Original manuscripts to accompany Birds of America / by John James Audubon.
Date of resource: [1835? - 1836]

The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands : containing the figures of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, insects, and plants ; particularly, those not hitherto described, or incorrectly figured by former authors, with their descriptions in English and French ; to which is prefixed, a new and correct map of the countries ; with observations on their natural state, inhabitants, and productions / by the late Mark Catesby ; revised by Mr. Edwards ; ... to the whole is now added a Linnæan index of the animals and plants.
Date of resource: 1771

The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama islands : containing the figures of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, insects, and plants : particularly, the forest-trees, shrubs, and other plants, not hitherto described, or very incorrectly figured by authors : together with their descriptions in English and French : to which, are added observations on the air, soil, and waters : with remarks upon agriculture, grain, pulse, roots, &c. : to the whole, is prefixed a new and correct map of the countries treated of / by Mark Catesby = Histoire naturelle de la Caroline, la Floride & les Isles Bahama : contenant les desseins des oiseaux, animaux, poissons, serpents, insectes, & plantes, et en particulier, des arbres des forets, arbrisseaux, & autres plantes, qui n'ont point été decrits, jusques à present par les auteurs, ou peu exactement dessinés : avec leur descriptions en françois & en anglois : à quoi on a adjouté, des observations sur l'air, le sol, & les eaux, avec des remarques sur l'agriculture, les grains, les legumes, les racines, &c. : le tout est precedé d'une carte nouvelle & exacte des païs dont il s'agist / par Marc Catesby.
Date of resource: [1729-1747]

The quadrupeds of North America / by John James Audubon and John Bachman.
Date of resource: 1849-1854

Sewellel or Mountain Beaver.
Date of resource: ca. 1840s.

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