References to Charles Darwin in the
Held on 12 February International Darwin Day coincides with the birthday of the famous British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and serves as homage to his scientific work. Darwin’s theory of biological evolution through natural selection revolutionized how we see both nature and its development.The Theory of Evolution today still lies at the heart of our understanding of biology. Several references to it can be found
in the collections of the Natural History Museum Vienna, while the museum as an institution also has close links to Charles
Darwin.
When it opened in 1889, the Natural History Museum in Vienna was the first museum in Europe fully committed to the Theory of Evolution. This was largely thanks to the determination and vision of the museum’s first Director, Ferdinand von Hochstetter (1820-1884), who had been an enthusiastic supporter of Darwin from the very start.
By incorporating his new Anthropological-Ethnographical Department into the existing museum, Hochstetter created the first museum of nature where humans were also presented as an object of research. Hochstetter also used the interior design of the museum to communicate Darwin’s theory to visitors.
(For more information see: The Natural History Museum: Construction, Conception & Architecture Jovanovic-Kruspel, Stefanie (text); Schumacher, Alice (photographs); 2014, available to order )
When it opened in 1889, the Natural History Museum in Vienna was the first museum in Europe fully committed to the Theory of Evolution. This was largely thanks to the determination and vision of the museum’s first Director, Ferdinand von Hochstetter (1820-1884), who had been an enthusiastic supporter of Darwin from the very start.
By incorporating his new Anthropological-Ethnographical Department into the existing museum, Hochstetter created the first museum of nature where humans were also presented as an object of research. Hochstetter also used the interior design of the museum to communicate Darwin’s theory to visitors.
(For more information see: The Natural History Museum: Construction, Conception & Architecture Jovanovic-Kruspel, Stefanie (text); Schumacher, Alice (photographs); 2014, available to order )