This is a small yet fascinating exhibition in the library of the Linnean Society, celebrating the life of A.R. Wallace, the co-developer of the theory of evolution independently of Charles Darwin. It’s free to visit – just sign in to enter the building.
These photographic visiting cards show Alfred Russel Wallace as an older man, giving no indication of his incredible life as a naturalist.
The drawings from his journals are highly detailed and delicate, learning through observation of whatever he came across.
Look at the detailed painting of insect wings below.
Much of his research took place in the Malay Archipelago. This observation from his first journal gives an insight into how he was perceived as a white man.
“One of the most disagreeable features of travelling in this country is the excessive terror I invariably excite. Wherever I go dogs bark, children scream, women run & men stare with astonishment as though I were some strange & cannibal monster.”
Another exhibit tells this story:
“A python had climbed up one of the posts of the house, and had made his way under the thatch within a yard of my head, and and taken up a comfortable position in the roof – and I had slept soundly all night directly under him.”
And here is the preserved python skin, kept for posterity.
His book, The Malay Archipelago, first came out in 1869 and has remained in print ever since.
Lastly, I couldn’t resist this response to a book he was sent by J. Scouller (“with the author’s compliments”) refuting the theory of evolution. “Rubbish from beginning to end.”
