Event Description
See field notes from the Congo, a letter from Darwin, and a lock of George Washington’s hair.
May is Library and Archives Month and these Behind-the-Scenes Collection Tours will provide you with an eclectic sampling that includes a field notebook from a 1934 expedition to the Belgium Congo, a 1911 photo album of local botanical excursions, a lavishly illustrated 19th century book on iridescent birds along with two of the original engraved plates and an illustrated specimen, expedition shipping crates, field equipment used by Dr. Ruth Patrick, letters from Charles Darwin and Ernest Hemingway, and a lock of George Washington’s hair.
About the Behind-the-Scenes Collection Tours
If you’ve ever wondered what fascinating things might be hidden behind the scenes at the Academy, now is your chance to find out. For a limited time, from April 15, 2012, until February 2013, our scientists will open our cabinets and drawers to show you the amazing, the spectacular, and the downright unusual items in our collections.
Every month we will showcase a different theme—everything from birds and insects to live animals and the Library and Archives. These one-of-a-kind tours, offered only during our bicentennial year, will take place at the Academy Thursdays through Mondays at 11 am, except on festival weekends. Tickets may be purchased at our front desk on the day of the tour ($5 per person for members/$7.50 for nonmembers). Tours are for visitors ages 8 and up, with a maximum of 10 people per tour. You won’t want to miss these special opportunities to talk with our scientists and see some of our treasures. Each theme lasts for one month only, so hurry in!
Upcoming Tours
- May 2012: Library and Archives
- June 2012: Ornithology Collection (birds)
- July 2012: Herpetology and Mammology Collections (amphibians, reptiles and mammals)
- August 2012: Entomology Collection (insects)
- September 2012: Diatom Collection (diatoms are microscopic algae)
- October 2012: Malacology Collection (bivalves, snails, and octopi)
- November 2012: Live Animal Center
- December 2012: Ichthyology Collection (fish)
- January 2013: Botany Collection (plants)
- February 2013: Vertebrate Paleontology Collection
|
