Collections

Flora and fauna of historical and scientific importance

The Linnean Society holds several important 18th Century animal and plant collections - including some 40,000 original specimens from the collection of Carl Linnaeus purchased from the estate of the Society's first President, Sir James Edward Smith - as well as Smith's own plant collection.

The Society encourages access to these specimens for historical and scientific research. The preservation of the collections clearly always remains of primary importance and special notice is required to view these items (click here for contacts).

The Library Collections

The Library is a primary resource for natural history with over 90,000 books, journals, portraits and illustrations.  It is a major source for publications on taxonomy, evolutionary biology, and the history of the biological sciences. It is the foremost repository of information on the life and work of Carl Linnaeus.   

The Archive Collections

The Society owns extensive collections of portraits, prints and drawings of naturalists, including Charles Darwin and Joseph Dalton Hooker.  It holds over 3,800 drawings of plants and animals. There are over 3,400 manuscripts, many with accompanying illustrations. The archives contain, among other items, nomination certificates for Fellows, accession registers, and records of the sale and transfer of specimens and collections. 

Further details about our current and future plans can be found from the links within this section, or by contacting the Linnean Society.

Linnean Society Collections Online

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.

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  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.

For more information on the individual aspects of the Linnean Society Collections Online Programme, follow the links below: 

• The Digitisation of the Linnaean Herbarium

• The Digitisation of the Linnaean Fish and Shell Collection

• The Digitisation of the Linnaean Insect Collection

• The Linnaean Correspondence Project

• The Linnaean Plant Name Typification Project

• The Linnaeus Link Project

• The Smith Herbarium Conservation Project