 | Charles Darwin is one of the most important, popular and controversial personalitaties of the 19th century, his revolutionary theory of evolution is forever changing our view on the birth and development of the natural world. Hated with passion or supported with enthusiasm, he has by no means been forgotten, after causing a tremendous scandal in his time after publishing his book, "The Origin of the Species", which still stands at the foundation of modern biology. After one hundred and fifty years since that first edition, visitors of the Field Museum in Chicago have the chance of discovering the man and his ideas in a comprehensive exhibition simply titled "Darwin". |
The curators are presenting the richest exhibition dedicated to Darwin, bringing together the most complete collection of manuscripts, artifacts, memorabilia, rare personaj objects, letters and photographs.
Also, visitors have the chance of retracing the legendary voyage undertook by Darwin on the HMS Beagle, starting in 1831. Then the young scientist left for the unknown with only a magnifying glass, notebooks and the hope of understanding what the evolution was all about. The voyage would take five years, and the visitors of today have the occasion of seeing replicas of the animals and birds discovered by Darwin in the Galapagos Islands, a model of the ship HMS Beagle, replicas of the tropical plants that he collected and described in his notes. Also, several replicas of fossils, which played a key role in the development of Darwin's major theory, are present in the show, including a replica of the glyptodont fossil that gave the researcher the main idea of understanding how this mighty beasts became extinct.
But other that presenting the scientist, the exhibition does it's best to present the real man behind the name, Charles Darwin the loving father of 10 children, a devoted husband and a decent person. The family supported and encouraged him in his life's work, but at the same time Darwin tried to devote every single spare minute to his family. By means of notes and letters visitors can retrace the time when young Charles was courting Emma Wedgwood, having the chance of learning what the two said to eachother more than a century and a half ago. One of the most touching and personal exhibits is a small writing box, with quill pens and writing paper, alongside other writing accessories, which belonged to Annie Darwin. She was the second child, who died at just ten years old of tuberculosis, a loss which forever marked Darwin.
Darwin's Study
The exhibition hosted by the Field Museum in Chicago is a fascinating voyage into the life and works of Charles Darwin, the largest and most impressive up till now, and has already proven to be a great succes for the public. Despite the controversies that still surround his ideas, Darwin still is one of the most important scientist in world history.
Photo : fieldmuseum.org
2007-07-30
