Charles Darwin's treasure chest to go on display
- Published
- comments
A box which belonged to famous scientist Charles Darwin will go on display at the house where he used to live.
Charles Darwin came up with the theory of evolution which changed the way people thought about how humans and animals change over time.
The box of treasures contains shells and trinkets collected by him and his family.
It has been handed down through the generations and is now being donated to English Heritage to be displayed at Down House where he lived for 40 years and wrote his groundbreaking scientific treaties.
It is the process by which different kinds of living organism are believed to have developed from earlier forms during the history of the Earth.
The collection includes handwritten notes explaining what each item is
The shells were collected by Darwin during his famous Beagle voyage to South America and the Galapagos Islands where his observations led him to develop his scientific ideas.
In his book On the Origin of Species published in 1859 he introduced the world to the idea that humans shared a common ancestor with apes, which was a hugely controversial at the time.
His work on natural selection is now seen as the foundation of evolutionary biology.
The box belonged to Darwin's daughter Annie, and later her sister Henrietta, who added their own family mementos over the years
Olivia Fryman, from English Heritage said: "This charming keepsake box gives us an intimate insight into Victorian habits of collecting, the life of Charles Darwin and how his scientific work and family life were intertwined.
"A treasured object, carefully preserved over the generations, the box will give visitors to Down House a valuable sense of Darwin's work and the family who surrounded and supported him."
The box will go on display later in the year.
- Published22 May 2020
- Published26 April 2017
- Published11 February 2021
