The Naturalists -
“The Learner must be led always from familiar objects toward the unfamiliar, guided along, as it were, a chain of flowers into the mysteries of life.” ~ Charles Willson Peale
Charles Peale
This narrative is based on the rich history of Natural Science where “curiosities” from exotic lands became our modern museums, zoos, and botanical gardens. The museum founded by the artist and curator, Charles Willson Peale is the model for the Natural Philosopher’s large collection.
It includes plants, fossils, minerals, specimens, and even relics of the famed Woolly Mammoth that so fascinated Thomas Jefferson (who debated with European naturalists about American flora and fauna and inspired the Expedition of Discovery by Lewis and Clark).
Joseph Banks
Banks was a wealth British collector who served as science officer to Captain James Cook’s expedition to the South Pacific to observe the Transit of Venus and collect exotic specimens. Banks was inspired by famous naturalist Carl Linnæus, and in turn inspired the journey of Charles Darwin.