The Linnean Society Collections Online

To provide worldwide online access to its priceless collections of specimens, manuscripts and letters, the Society is creating a digital archive of over 12 Terabytes of unique material, under the overall title of the Linnean Society Collections Online (previously the CARLS Programme - Computer Access to the Records of the Linnean Society).  The Society is also supporting important initiatives to enable much wider access to Linnaean holdings worldwide through partnerships and funding support, such as The Linnean Plant Name Typification Project and The Linnaeus Link Project. 

The digitisation programme enables online access to these unique collections to those who might not otherwise be able to see and study them. The image quality is such that few will need to handle the priceless specimens and manuscripts to obtain the information they seek. Until now, access to this important material for research purposes was only possible for those who were able to travel to the rooms of the Linnean Society in London where they are stored.   The Society’s aim is to make available its primary research material in digital formats to support taxonomic and conservation efforts worldwide as well as providing public pleasure and enjoyment.

The Linnaean Collections comprise the specimens of plants (14,300), fish (158), shells (1,564) and insects (3,198) acquired from the widow of Carl Linnaeus in 1784 by Sir James Edward Smith, founder and first President of the Linnean Society. They also include the library of Linnaeus (of some 1,600 volumes) and his letters (c. 3,000 items of correspondence and manuscripts).  All are housed in a temperature and humidity controlled strongroom in the Linnean Society.

The Collections will be becoming available online over the coming months. Please follow the links on the right to access them.

LINNEAN SHELL COLLECTIONS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

The 3,054 new images represent the molluscan specimens held within the Linnean Society’s strongroom collection.  All major worldwide groups are represented, the coverage reflecting the stage of exploration that had been reached in the early 19th century; today, Linnaeus’ species represent only a portion of ... [More]

LINNEAN HYMENOPTERA COLLECTIONS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

The new images represent the 859 Hymenoptera specimens within the collection held by the Linnean Society and include specimens from the collection of the Society’s founder and first President, Sir James Edward Smith (1759-1828) who purchased Linnaeus’ collection in 1784 and added his own to it... [More]

LINNAEAN FISH COLLECTION NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

The collection holds 168 fish specimens consisting mostly of dried skins from one side incorporating half of the skeleton. There are a number of important type specimens in the collection, including the John Dory Zeus faber.... [More]

LINNAEAN BUTTERFLY AND MOTH COLLECTIONS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

To coincide with National Insect Week 2008, the Linnean Society of London is launching digitised  images of the Linnaean butterflies and moths. Linnaeus named some 305 butterfly species, all but 6 of which still bear their Linnaean name today, and the collections contain many type specimens.  At the same time the first of the digitised images of the Lepidoptera specimens from the collection of Sir James Edward Smith (1759-1828) will be made available... [More]

LINNAEAN HERBARIUM NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE 

The herbarium held by the Linnean Society of London is the single most important Linnaean collection of plant specimens, as well as the largest.  It contains some 14,300 specimens, many pre-dating Linnaeus’ seminal work, Species Plantarum (1753). More than 4,000 of these are type* specimens for Linnaean names and include plants from Asia, Europe and the Americas collected during a time of intense exploration of new lands... [More]

LINNAEAN CORRESPONDENCE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE 

The collection held by the Linnean Society contains over 4,000 letters from 600 different correspondents including letters from such major figures as Sir Joseph Banks, Johan Frederik Gronovius,  Johan Christian Fabricius, the Jussieu brothers, José Celestino Mútis, Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Georg Dionysius Ehret, Anders Celsius, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (see Rousseau letter L4545). The majority of the letters are written in Latin, the lingua franca of the scientific world at the time... [More]

More Information

Click here for more information about the Linnaean Collections

Click here for more information about viewing the Collections

Click here for links to digital libraries with Linnaean material