Archive Collection (#97)

Aerially exposed corals. Plate XIX taken from the museum archives

Mrs Stephenson wearing a diving helmet
Photograph of Mrs Stephenson wearing a diving helmet. Great Barrier Reef expedition 1928-1929

The new Whale hall, 1938

Natives Tongataboo, Friendly Islands photographed during the
Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) funded by the British Government for scientific purposes and seems to have been the first expedition to carry an official photographer as well as an official

Professor Robert Edmond Grant, M. D. F. R.s (1793-1874)
Professor Robert Edmond Grant, one of the foremost biologists of the early 19th century at Edinburgh and subsequently a professor at London University

Sloanes trade card for milk chocolate
Sir Hans Sloanes (1660-1753) collection formed the basis of the collection now held at the Natural History Museum, London

Equus quagga, quagga
One of the last remaining quagga in captivity at London Zoo. Relative of the horse and zebra which lived in the African plains, was hunted to extinction during the end of the 19th century

H. M.s Challenger at St. Thomas, West Indies
H.M.S Challenger was a three masted wooden ship (steam corvette) from Her Majestys navy. She was refitted in 1872 to accommodate the scientists

The Natural History Museum at Tring, photographed in 1899
Viewed from Park Street, Tring. Lord Rothschild bequeathed his entire museum to the Trustees of the British Museum provided that it became an annexe of the Museum at South Kensington

John Goulds house
John Gould was born in England in 1804 and died in 1881. In 1827 he became taxidermist to the Zoological Society of London

Piltdown memorial
July 1938, Sir Arthur Smith Woodward next to the memorial marking the site of the discovery of the Piltdown skull by Charles Dawson. Photograph loaned to Museum by Charles Taylor Trechmann

Cypress in Mr Watsons garden, Madeira
The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) was funded by the British Government for scientific purposes and seems to have been the first expedition to carry an official photographer as well as an

View Buena Vista, Gibraltar
The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) was funded by the British Government for scientific purposes and seems to have been the first expedition to carry an official photographer as well as an

Monument to General Elliott, Gibraltar
The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) was funded by the British Government for scientific purposes and seems to have been the first expedition to carry an official photographer as well as an

Public Gardens, Gibraltar
The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) was funded by the British Government for scientific purposes and seems to have been the first expedition to carry an official photographer as well as an

Gibraltar Old Mole
The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) was funded by the British Government for scientific purposes and seems to have been the first expedition to carry an official photographer as well as an

Quarter Deck Group
The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) funded by the British Government for scientific purposes and seems to have been the first expedition to carry an official photographer as well as an

Excavations at Piltdown c. 1913
Arthur Smith Woodward and the Abbe Henri Breuil at Piltdown

Giraffes on steps, October 1903 at the Natural History Museu
More space to exhibit larger animals to an eager public fascinated by discoveries made on worldwide expeditions. This trio formed part of the new mammal display in 1903 along the first floor East

Osteological Gallery, Natural History Museum, London, July 1

Children with Sir John Ramsbottom December 1948
Children around Sir John Ramsbottom with spirit jar, December 1948. At the Natural History Museum, London

Gorilla, November 1897
The gorilla shown in an aggressive posture became a popular museum highlight. Epitomised in the 1933 film, King Kong, sensationalist reports by early explorers influenced the way these animals were

The jawbones of Greenland right whale, c. 1912
These jaw bones, each measuring approximately 4.10m (13 ft), were part of a specimen from Lochend, Shetland, donated in 1911 by a Mr Haldane

Little boy with fox, c. 1950
Parents and older siblings were actively discouraged from visiting the Childrens Centre, to ensure that the children were free to be themselves

Man carrying stuffed mammals for the Game Animals of the Emp
The Game Animals of the Empire exhibition opened in the newly built Whale Hall in 1932, as finances dictated that installation of the skeletons and models of whales had to be postponed

Sperm whale skeleton, March 1901
This sperm whale skeleton stood in the Central Hall between 1882 and 1901. The whale was found near Thurso, Scotland, in 1863

Diplodocus carnegiei, 1905
Thirty-six crates containing the replica diplodocus skeleton arrived in London in December 1904. The Director of the Carnegie Museum, where the original is located

Men in jaws of bowhead whale, 1934
In late 1934 this bowhead whale skeleton was hoisted into position in the new Whale Hall, where it still hangs today

Man wearing snake, 1930s
This young man, possibly a junior member of the Zoology Department, is posing with a king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) that presumably had just arrived at the Museum

Woman with dinosaur models, 1926
Miss Hilda Bather, daughter of Francis Arthur Bather, Keeper of Geology, offered this set of seven dinosaur models for sale from her premises, the Craft Shop at Bognor Regis, Sussex

The King of Spain presenting an ibex, July 1927
At the request of George V, the presentation of a group of ibex by King Alfonso of Spain in July 1927 was kept informal. An unveiling ceremony took place at noon in the Central Hall

Guy Dollman with small-scale elephant model, 1927
Captain Guy Dollman (seated), Assistant Keeper of Zoology, designed this model scene for an innovative, full-sized display in one of the bays in the Central Hall which opened in July 1927

Girl with dinosaur bone, 1920s
In the Fossil Reptile gallery, this young woman holds a yardstick against a cast of the right humerus or upper arm bone of Tornieria africana, named in 1911 after German palaeontologist

Dugong casting, c. 1924, the Natural History Museum, London
To avoid the results of deterioration, it was vital to prepare casts from the bodies of large cetaceans and other mammals, such as this rare dugong, as soon as they arrived at the Museum

Preparing models, c. 1924. The Natural History Museum, Lond
Percy and Stuart Latham Stammwitz, seen here adding details to a replica horse, were responsible for preparing models and mounted specimens required for gallery displays by the Zoology Department

Army biscuit enquiry, 1920s
Troops in South Africa and Mauritius found that biscuits sent out had been infested with moths, and become inedible. John Hartley Durrant of the Zoology Department was asked to investigate

Indian soldiers at entrance, 15 August 1919

Soldiers in grounds, 1917 at the Natural History Museum, Lon
During World War I a war farm was established at the eastern end of the grounds, tended by staff and convalescent soldiers

Roosevelt visiting the Natural History Museum, London, June
Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt spent the morning of 16 June 1914 sightseeing in London, one of his destinations being the Natural History Museum

Unveiling Selous memorial, June 1920
Frederick Courtenay Selous (1851-1917) was one of the most famous big game hunters of his era. He spent much of his life in Africa, but also hunted in North America and Asia Minor

African visitors, July 1905
Six Akka people from the Congo accompanied Colonel James Jonathan Harrison (front row), traveller and photographer, to London in 1905, appearing at the London Hippodrome before touring the country

Staff posing with blue whale model, 1938
Percy and Stuart Stammwitz were part of the team that built the famous 27m (90 ft) blue whale model, currently on display at the Natural History Museum, London. Photographed in January 1938

Open case with snake skeleton, 1939. The Natural History Mu
This Indian python skeleton, Python molurus, is still on display today

Men with horned specimens, 1940
This photograph appeared in the August 1940 edition of Tin Hat, the anonymous and very unofficial bulletin that was produced on various Museum typewriters between 1939 and 1942

Sperm whale excavation, Natural History Museum, 1938
This sperm whale skull and skeleton arrived in February 1937 from Bridlington, Humberside. Published in Life Through A Lens

Damaged windows, 1940
By the end of the war, almost every window and glass exhibit case in the Museum had been broken

Fish Gallery, 1935, the Natural History Museum
This photograph was taken to record work-in-progress on modernising the Fish Gallery

Plant mounters, 1934, The Natural History Museum
Although there were very few women on the permanent staff in the 1930s, a large number were employed as unofficial workers

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"Unveiling the hidden treasures: A journey through the archives" Step into a time capsule as we explore the fascinating world of archives. From Steep Street in Bristol to London Zoo in 1929, these snapshots capture moments frozen in time. Witness the power and grandeur of Union Pacific's Class Steam Locomotive with its remarkable 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, known as Big Boy Class. Transport yourself back to Nottingham's vibrant streets with EAW025936, or marvel at Wentworth Woodhouse's architectural splendor in EAR007511. Join us on a whirlwind tour through history as St Giles Fair comes alive before your eyes, immortalized forever in CC49_00539. Remember Woolworths Southend? Relive those nostalgic memories with FWW01_01_0033_002. Travel back to where it all began - Crewe Station - which opened its doors on July 4th, 1837, marking the birth of the Grand Junction Railway. Delve deeper into our past with Root Bodied Forth BB96_02064 and Consett Steel Works FF98_00247 - testaments to human ingenuity and industrial prowess. Immerse yourself in knowledge within the hallowed halls of Gallery of the Old Library or be captivated by Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 Piston-Engine's engineering brilliance. Archives hold stories waiting to be discovered; they are windows into our collective heritage. So come along and unlock their secrets – let us embark on this captivating journey together.