Treasures of the Month
Judging a Book by its Cover: 18th-century hand-decorated papers in the Linnean Society's Collections
Artisanal hand-decorated papers were all the rage in the 18th century. Conservator Janet Ashdown combs our collections to see what examples we hold.
1st July 2022
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker’s "Prince of Mantua" Medal
Our Curator of Artefacts Glenn Benson examines one of the great botanist's medals, and finds that all that glitters is not gold
23rd May 2022
The Linnaean Shell Collection
What happens to a treasure when it isn’t treated as a treasure? Digital Assets Manager Andrea Deneau looks at the history of Linnaeus' shell collection.
26th April 2022
Professor Liebig and the mysterious fossils of the Trap Formation
Assistant Archivist Luke Thorne examines this totally legit paper about a series of mysterious fossils that were unearthed on the grounds of an estate.
1st April 2022
The embroidery pattern book of Guillaume Toulouze (1656)
Natural history served as a subject for art and crafts for mid-seventeenth century French ladies. Isabelle Charmantier, Head of Collections, finds playful traces of three young French girls in a rare book.
1st March 2022
Tabernaemontanus’s 17th-Century Herbal: To Repair, or Not to Repair?
When a 17th-century book starts to decay, do you repair or preserve it? Conservator Janet Ashdown looks at an item from Linnaeus's personal library to explore the solutions.
21st January 2022
