Buzz
New York City’s American Museum of Natural History is renowned for its vast collections, ranging from dinosaur fossils and glowing marine life to ancient Chinese garments, meteorites, hippopotamus skulls, and rare manuscripts. However, many may not know that the museum also houses a special division—the Research Library’s Memorabilia Collection—dedicated to preserving its own legacy. This includes scientific instruments, historical exhibits, and personal artifacts from key figures who have shaped the museum. Located in a less-traveled area near one of the rare book rooms, the collection was generously shown to us by Tom Baione, the Harold Boeschenstein Director of the Department of Library Services, under his watchful eye.
1. Classic Cameras
Upon stepping into the Memorabilia Room, your attention is immediately drawn to a row of shelves filled with antique camera gear, featuring large-format cameras and viewfinders. Remarkably, many of these pieces are still functional!
2. Lemur Sculpture
This sculpture of a “lemuroid primate” originates from a discontinued exhibit curated by William King Gregory, titled “Our Face from Fish to Man” (Gregory also authored a book on the subject). The exhibit, launched in 1929 and now considered outdated and culturally insensitive, featured a series of busts, beginning with a Devonian shark and concluding with an “Australian bushman” and a “Greek Athlete” sculpture, the latter of which is also displayed in the Memorabilia Room.
Similar to other items in the Memorabilia Collection, the bust is housed in a specially designed box crafted by the Library’s Conservation Lab.
3. Radiolarian Replica
This exquisite replica of a Radiolarian—a microscopic ocean-dwelling protozoan known for its intricate shapes—was crafted by a museum glassblower. The box bears the inscription "Haeckel," honoring Ernst Haeckel, the scientist who published a seminal work on these organisms in
3. Antique Microscopes
In 2009, the museum received a donation of vintage microscopes from Ronald Wilkinson, a collector from Washington DC who specialized in rare books and scientific instruments. To preserve the delicate scopes, the museum’s conservators designed custom boxes with transparent front panels that can be easily removed, allowing viewers to inspect the microscopes without handling them directly.
4. Plaster Hadrosaur and Stegosaurus Models
When you imagine a dinosaur, the mental image is likely inspired by the iconic illustrations of Charles Knight, a renowned artist who collaborated with the museum in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Knight created these plaster models of a Hadrosaur and a Stegosaurus during his tenure at the institution.
Several of Knight’s paintings from the late 1800s and early 1900s have recently been added to the museum’s collection. These artworks were originally mounted on acidic boards, which were damaging the paintings. Conservators carefully removed the boards and used an ultrasonic welder to encase the paintings in protective layers of mylar.
6. Hayden Planetarium Artifacts
The first Hayden Planetarium, designed by New York architects Samuel Breck Parkman Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston (who also created the Stock Exchange), debuted in 1935. It was taken down in 1997 to pave the way for a modernized facility, which opened in 2000. The museum preserved several art deco wall sconces and architectural elements, including sections of the original planetarium’s exterior stonework, now housed in the Memorabilia Collection.
7. Miniature Polar Bear Diorama
During the early to mid-1900s, the Museum’s School Services Department transported educational materials, such as this small polar bear diorama, to public schools. Along with objects and photographs, lantern slides were also loaned out, and one of the delivery trucks used for this purpose can be seen here.
This diorama features both front and top windows to allow ample natural light. According to Baione, these portable dioramas were likely crafted by the museum’s own team.
8. Uncle Cosmo Exhibit Sign
During renovations for the new Hayden Planetarium, workers uncovered a hidden wall containing an old sign featuring a character named Uncle Cosmo. The sign promoted the “Your Weight on Other Worlds” exhibit, where visitors could discover their weight on different planets. Today, the planetarium still offers scales for guests to measure their weight on “other worlds.”
9. Plaster Sculpture of Chrysalis
Carl Akeley, the museum’s renowned naturalist and taxidermist, crafted this plaster model of a man resembling himself emerging from a gorilla. The bronze version, Chrysalis, was rejected by the National Academy of Design for lacking artistic merit, as reported by the New York Times. Instead, it debuted at the West Side Unitarian Church during its “Evolution Day” in April 1924. At the unveiling, Akeley explained that his goal was not to portray humans as evolving from animals but to defend gorillas and other creatures against the label of being “bestial.” Akeley passed away two years later in Africa while working to protect the mountain gorilla; the bronze statue now resides at Chicago’s Field Museum.
10. Seed Pod Artifact
The Memorabilia Collection isn’t limited to glass and plaster models or vintage equipment. It also includes unique items like a monkey seed pod, stored in a specially crafted box, though it emits an unpleasant odor. Baione speculates that the pod was likely part of an exhibit at some point and, due to its preserved state, was kept and eventually added to the Memorabilia Collection.
