Museums and Their Functions: Lecture 03

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Museums and Their Functions Lecture 03

• Brief History of Natural History Museums (Part II)

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Classical or Pre-Linnaean Period
Old and new objects would be placed together.
No distinctions would be made between real and
replicated objects.
Integrity of objects was not important.
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Linnaean Period (1750-1850)

• Distinguished from Classical Period by

• Natural objects are understood by functional
  characteristics rather than by superficial
  similarities.

• Objective was to discover how natural objects are
  related and the means were analogy and succession.

• Relationships between things were conceived in
  the form of order and measurement.

• Attempts were made to distinguish and classify
  nature in a hierarchical manner.

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Royal College of Surgeons
c, Royal College of Surgeons, London (1837).
Yanni (1999)
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Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons, Main
Room (1845).
Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons, Main
Room (1845). From Yanni (1999)
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Cambridge University Library, Natural History
Collection (1842).
Cambridge University Library, Natural History
Collection (1842). From Yanni (1999)
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British Museum, Montagu House, London (1845).
British Museum, Montagu House, London (1845).
From Yanni (1999)
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Linnaean Period (1750-1850)

• Period of great expansion of natural history
  collections and classification of life.

• Trend of specialization of museums continued.

• Collections changed from private to public
  ownership, organized by academic societies.

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Muséum National dHistoire Naturelle, Paris,
Zoology Galleries (1815).
Muséum National dHistoire Naturelle, Paris,
Zoology Galleries (1815). From Outram (1996)
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Jardin des Plantes, Paris 19th Century (Muséum
National dHistoire Naturelle).
Jardin des Plantes, Paris 19th Century (Muséum
National dHistoire Naturelle).
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Jardin des Plantes, Paris 19th Century (Muséum
National dHistoire Naturelle).
Jardin des Plantes, Paris 19th Century (Muséum
National dHistoire Naturelle).
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Muséum National dHistoire Naturelle, Paris
(Galerie de Zoologie).
Muséum National dHistoire Naturelle, Paris
(Galerie de Zoologie).
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Linnaean Period (1750-1850)

• Great Chain of Being, grouping nature along a
  hierarchical scale.

• Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) father of nomenclature,
  and proposed the first modern classifications of
  plants and animals. His Systema naturae is the
  basis of modern classification. Served as means
  of arranging museums.

• Linnaeus encouraged his students to travel the
  world in search of biota.

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Modern Period (1850-present)

• Distinguished from the Linnaean period by

• Charles Darwin (1809-1882) provided the paradigm.

• Analogous and homologous natural items were
  distinguished, and the former was used in
  classifying.

• Objective was to discover how natural items are
  related and the means were homology and
  succession.

• Technology was better developed for
  classification of natural items.

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Modern Period (1850-present)

• Institutionalization of museums.

• Collecting of natural items became a very active
  and complex process. Large expeditions were
  mounted.

• Collection building continued rapidly through the
  early part of the 20th Century.

• Museums became state institutions and were open
  to the public.

• Museums were (in part) designed to reflect
  societal or government values.

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Naturmuseum and Forschungs Institute Senckenburg,
room 5, Frankfurt (1915).
Naturmuseum and Forschungs Institute Senckenburg,
room 5, Frankfurt (1915). Est. 1817. Largely
destroyed during WW II.
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Naturmuseum and Forschungs Institute Senckenburg,
Room 5, Frankfurt (1985).
Naturmuseum and Forschungs Institute Senckenburg,
Room 5, Frankfurt (1985).
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Modern Period (1850-present)

• Museums took on new educational duties to reflect
  their role in egalitarian and democratic
  societies.

• More emphasis placed on adapting education for
  museum visitors.

• The educational role of modern museums is still
  in transition.

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Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
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Synopsis

• Museums have been active in shaping knowledge for
  the last 600 years.

• Structure of knowledge varies with time.

• Material artifacts are important in knowing the
  world but type of artifact and manner of display
  vary with world view.

• There is no essential definition of museums
  because definition varies with the world view of
  societies.

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Synopsis

• Example of how meanings of the same object vary
  according to time and shifts in the world view
  Madonna and child

• Renaissance Period (Medici Palace) Magical and
  religious object.

• Renaissance Period (Cabinet of World) Part of
  representation of hierarchical structure of
  World.

• Classical Period (Pre-Linnaean Period) Would be
  considered outside realm of nature.

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Synopsis

• Example continued

• Modern Period Would be treated historically
  according the artistic school of the artist.

• Thus objects have no essential identity, meaning
  is not constant, and processes of keeping and
  sorting vary with time.

• Meaningful objects are in a state of flux, and
  are often reformulated over time.

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Synopsis

• In the modern age, it is no longer enough for
  natural objects to present themselves on a table
  of knowledge.

• The importance of objects is in their relation to
  humankind.

• Objects are now presented as their relationships
  to humankind (thematic approach).

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Credits and References
Hooper-Greenhill, E. 1992. Chapter 6. The
Repository of the Royal Society. pp. 133-166. New
York. 232 pp.
Hooper-Greenhill, E. 1992. Chapter 7, The
disciplinary museum. Pp. 167-190. New York. 232
pp.
Hooper-Greenhill, E. 1992. Chapter 8. A useful
past for the present. pp. 191-215. New York. 232
pp.
Outram, D. 1996. New spaces in natural history.
Pp. 249-265.
Whitehead, P.J.P. 1971. Museums and the history
of zoology. (part II). Mus. J. 70 155-160.
Yani, C. 1999. Natures museums. Victorian
science the architecture of display. The Johns
Hopkins University Press.199 pp.