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Partners - Natural History Museum
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| A nineteenth century painting of a red water lily, by an Indian artist working at Calcutta Botanic Garden. |
The Natural History Museum is the United Kingdom’s national museum of nature, and a centre of scientific excellence in taxonomy and biodiversity. The main museum, in South Kensington, attracts nearly three million visitors a year. Admission is free.
History
The Museum traces its roots to the middle of the eighteenth century, with the collection of Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753). Sloane's collection was extremely varied, including everything from dried snake skins from the West Indies, 338 volumes of dried plants, animal and human skeletons, to artefacts from the ancient world. The natural history collections have grown with the acquisition of various specimens and items from collectors, voyagers and explorer-scientists. One of the most important was the Banks herbarium, donated by Sir Joseph Banks after his 1768 voyage with Captain Cook on board the Endeavour.Art collections
The Natural History Museum is home to the largest collection of natural history artwork in the world. Nearly half a million works of art are held within the Museum's Library and Archive Collection and include original drawings, watercolours, oil paintings and prints. 40 pictures from the Natural History Museum are featured on the Plant Cultures web site.Links
Natural Wonders - Images from the Indian subcontinent
