20th Century Collection (page 6)

Man wearing snake, 1930s
This young man, possibly a junior member of the Zoology Department, is posing with a king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) that presumably had just arrived at the Museum

Woman with dinosaur models, 1926
Miss Hilda Bather, daughter of Francis Arthur Bather, Keeper of Geology, offered this set of seven dinosaur models for sale from her premises, the Craft Shop at Bognor Regis, Sussex

The King of Spain presenting an ibex, July 1927
At the request of George V, the presentation of a group of ibex by King Alfonso of Spain in July 1927 was kept informal. An unveiling ceremony took place at noon in the Central Hall

Chang film presentation, 1927. The Natural History Museum
In 1925 Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack, later co-directors of King Kong, devised a 70-minute tale, Chang, of a Thai jungle village encountering wild animals, which premiered two years later

Guy Dollman with small-scale elephant model, 1927
Captain Guy Dollman (seated), Assistant Keeper of Zoology, designed this model scene for an innovative, full-sized display in one of the bays in the Central Hall which opened in July 1927

Girl with dinosaur bone, 1920s
In the Fossil Reptile gallery, this young woman holds a yardstick against a cast of the right humerus or upper arm bone of Tornieria africana, named in 1911 after German palaeontologist

Dugong casting, c. 1924, the Natural History Museum, London
To avoid the results of deterioration, it was vital to prepare casts from the bodies of large cetaceans and other mammals, such as this rare dugong, as soon as they arrived at the Museum

Preparing models, c. 1924. The Natural History Museum, Lond
Percy and Stuart Latham Stammwitz, seen here adding details to a replica horse, were responsible for preparing models and mounted specimens required for gallery displays by the Zoology Department

Army biscuit enquiry, 1920s
Troops in South Africa and Mauritius found that biscuits sent out had been infested with moths, and become inedible. John Hartley Durrant of the Zoology Department was asked to investigate

Indian soldiers at entrance, 15 August 1919

Soldiers in grounds, 1917 at the Natural History Museum, Lon
During World War I a war farm was established at the eastern end of the grounds, tended by staff and convalescent soldiers

Roosevelt visiting the Natural History Museum, London, June
Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt spent the morning of 16 June 1914 sightseeing in London, one of his destinations being the Natural History Museum

Unveiling Selous memorial, June 1920
Frederick Courtenay Selous (1851-1917) was one of the most famous big game hunters of his era. He spent much of his life in Africa, but also hunted in North America and Asia Minor

African visitors, July 1905
Six Akka people from the Congo accompanied Colonel James Jonathan Harrison (front row), traveller and photographer, to London in 1905, appearing at the London Hippodrome before touring the country

Staff posing with blue whale model, 1938
Percy and Stuart Stammwitz were part of the team that built the famous 27m (90 ft) blue whale model, currently on display at the Natural History Museum, London. Photographed in January 1938

Open case with snake skeleton, 1939. The Natural History Mu
This Indian python skeleton, Python molurus, is still on display today

Men with horned specimens, 1940
This photograph appeared in the August 1940 edition of Tin Hat, the anonymous and very unofficial bulletin that was produced on various Museum typewriters between 1939 and 1942

Sperm whale excavation, Natural History Museum, 1938
This sperm whale skull and skeleton arrived in February 1937 from Bridlington, Humberside. Published in Life Through A Lens

Damaged windows, 1940
By the end of the war, almost every window and glass exhibit case in the Museum had been broken

Fish Gallery, 1935, the Natural History Museum
This photograph was taken to record work-in-progress on modernising the Fish Gallery

Plant mounters, 1934, The Natural History Museum
Although there were very few women on the permanent staff in the 1930s, a large number were employed as unofficial workers

Telephonist, 1933. The Natural History Museum, London
In 1883 the Treasury refused to sanction the purchase of telephones for the Museum, on the grounds of expense. Copper speaking tubes were suggested as an alternative, and can be seen here

Whale Hall, 1932

Guide Lecturer, 1932
A guide lecturer in 1932 shows visitors around the Game Animals of the Empire exhibition in the Natural History Museum, London

Staff dance, January 1927, The Natural History Museum
This photo of the staff dance held on New Years Day 1927 captures the party-going spirit of the Jazz age

Elephants and cases, c. 1924
A photograph of the Natural History Museums Central Hall containing elephants

Mineral Gallery, 1923
The Mineral Gallery, on the first floor of the east wing, is the only area to retain the same layout since first opening in 1881

Zoology Unpacking Room, 1924, the Natural History Museum
Following a four-year delay due to boundary discussions with the proposed new Science Museum, an Unpacking Room for zoological specimens opened for business in early 1912

George Albert Boulenger (1858-1937) with spirit jars, 1920s
Belgian born British naturalist, George Albert Boulenger (1858-1937), was first-class assistant in the Zoology Department in the Natural History section of the British Museum, 1882-1920

Charles Badcock, gatekeeper, c. 1920
Charles Badcock, Police Constable no. 209, began work at the Museum in 1902, aged 43. In 1910 he joined the Museum staff as a front gatekeeper

Geology support staff, Natural History Museum
The identity of this group of characters on the front steps of the Museum remains uncertain. It is believed to include Geology Department support staff, c. 1901

Presentation of Diplodocus, May 1905
The cast of Diplodocus carnegii was presented by the Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie. The original skeleton, excavated in Wyoming, is in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Works staff outing, Natural History Museum

Statue from the main entrance of the Natural History Museum
A statue, commonly assumed to be Adam, originally stood at the apex of the main entrance. It was removed during the war and later disappeared in mysterious circumstances

Dorothea Minola Alice Bate (1879-1951)
Portrait of Dorothea Minola Alice Bate, a geologist

Piltdown Man (Model based on Piltdown 1 & 2)

Searching for dinosaur fossils, Tendaguru, 1924
A team of scientists from the British Museum of Natural History travelled to Tendaguru, Tanganyika territory, Tanzania after the end of World War One in order to locate and collect dinosaur fossils

Edwardian necklace
A necklace containing fake amber beads. Included are celluloid, phenolic resin, casein and glass beads. Fig. 11 from Amber The Natural Time Capsule

Mammal Study, Natural History Museum, 1924
Published in Life Through A Lens, Photographs from the Natural History Museum 1880-1950 by Susan Snell & Polly Tucker, 2003

Men looking for shrapnel, 1940
Arthur Hopwood, Assistant Keeper of Geology, appointed Salvage Officer in 1940, and Clive Forster Cooper, Director of the Museum, looking for shrapnel

Preliminary flourine test of the Piltdown remains in 1949
Dr Kenneth Oakley discussing with Mr L. E. Parsons (right) where the mandible of Piltdown man could be sampled with the least risk of damage

Crowd around flea case, 1927
During the first decades of the 20th century, the Central Hall contained a number of exhibit cases explaining the role of insects and other animals in spreading disease

Grace Edwards, October 1926, The Natural History Museum
Grace Edwards was employed on an unofficial basis by the Entomology Department to prepare illustrations and models of specimens

Damage in Shell Gallery, 1940
A serious air raid occurred just over a month after the General Herbarium was hit, on the night of 16 October 1940

The damaged roof of the Botany Department, 1940
At 4.30am on 9 September 1940, two incendiaries and an oil bomb hit the roof of the Botany Department in the east wing

Guide Lecturer with visitors, c. 1920
John Henry Leonard was appointed as the first Guide Lecturer in May 1912, at the Natural History Museum, London

Carrying model beluga on pole, c. 1934
It took over a year from the closure of the old Whale Hall on 1 January 1934 for the skeletons and models, such as this beluga, to be ready for the public in the new Whale Hall

Pigeon types, c. 1918, the Natural History Museum, London
As food shortages hit during World War I, carrier pigeons that saved lives by relaying messages from downed pilots or disabled ships sometimes ended up shot for pigeon pie

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