Major exhibition opens at University of Otago

Beetles, barnacles,orchids, and the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin and his Legacy
Special Collections de Beer Gallery
1st Floor Central Library University of Otago

‘As far as I can judge of myself I worked to the utmost during the voyage from the mere pleasure of investigation, and from my strong desire to add a few facts to the great mass of facts in natural science. But I was also ambitious to take a fair place among scientific men...’.

So wrote Charles Darwin (1809-1882),(pic right aged 51), naturalist and author of On the Origin of Species, which on its appearance in 1859, ‘marked a turning point, not only in the history of science, but in the history of ideas in general’ (Dictionary of Scientific Biography).

2009 marks the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the sesqui-centenary of his greatest work On the Origin of Species (1859). Special Collections, University of Otago Library, is celebrating these two occasions with an exhibition entitled: ‘Beetles, Barnacles, Orchids, and the Origin of Species. Charles Darwin and His Legacy’ which will begin on 8 April and run through to 3 July 2009.

Darwin’s patient observations while on board the Beagle (1831-36) led him to develop his evolutionary theory by means of natural selection. Debate over the fundamentals of science, however, had already begun. French naturalists Buffon and Cuvier had their theories; British geologists and scientists such as Charles Lyell and Robert Chambers advocated their own notions. Even Darwin’s grandfather Erasmus was an early proponent of evolutionary thought.
The arrival of Alfred Russel Wallace’s notes at Darwin’s home at Down House in June 1858 almost derailed his work; it certainly forced him to publish his own ‘Species’ theory. And of course on publication, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection caused much controversy, promoted by supporters Thomas Huxley and Joseph Hooker, and denigrated as an immoral and godless book by detractors such as Samuel Wilberforce, the Bishop of Oxford and scientist Richard Owen.
Darwin wrote many other books, and it is important to recognise the rest of his canon. Many, like his books on barnacles, and the geology of South America, established his reputation as a scientist even before the publication of Origin of Species. Others, such as his Orchid and Variation of Animals and Plant books were complementary, providing supportive evidence towards his revolutionary theory.

Darwin also visited New Zealand in 1835. Throughout his life, he maintained an interest in the country, and made connections with many people living here.

Men such as William Colenso, Julius von Haast, and Frederick Hutton were antipodean advocates of evolution.
Notable works on display will include three original letters (dated 1872 and 1881); his classic Journal of Researches (1839), the rare issue of the joint announcement of the theory by Darwin and Wallace, a 3rd and 6th edition of Origin of Species, influential works such as Thomas Malthus’s Essay on the Principle of Population (1807), Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology (1872), Patrick Matthew’s On Naval Timber (1831), and the rare issue of Samuel Wilberforce’s review of Darwin’s Origin of Species (1861). New Zealand materials such as William Colenso’s early work on the moa and Walter Buller’s fabulous Birds of New Zealand (1873) will also be on display.
The exhibition will run to the 3 July 2009.Hours: 8:30a.m. to 5.00 p.m.