American Philosophical Society Museum

Site hosted and developed by:

Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science

Dialogues with Darwin: An Exhibition of Historical Documents and Contemporary Art

From Quick Overview

Previous Image     Next Image

Darwin, Cirripedia, 2

Darwin published these illustrations in his 1851 book about barnacles (cirripedia). Despite his earlier accomplishments and his burgeoning ideas about evolution, Darwin had remained hesitant to present his work on barnacles because he had not yet established a reputation as a taxonomist (one who classifies and names specimens). However, after eight years of work, he had enough faith in his own ideas to publish the book, and the publication, in turn, helped establish him as an expert naturalist.

Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Illustrations from Monograph on the Sub-Class Cirripedia. Vol. 1. London: Ray Society, 1851.

Read this book online.

Comment on this exhibition.