Homo sapiens: Classifying the Human Animal

In 1735, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus published the first edition of his foundational classification work Systema naturae.

In the Kingdom of Animals, Linnaeus included humans, which he divided into four varieties according to geographical origin and skin colour. Linnaeus refined his classification of humans over the next two decades, publishing a much more detailed classification in the10th edition of Systema naturae (1758).

This work has had fundamental consequences in the emergence of the concept of race, and the ways in which we understand and conceptualise differences between humans.

As a copy of the 10th edition of Systema naturae is displayed in the V&A East’s exhibition The Music is Black: A British Story, this complementary exhibition explores Linnaeus’ classification of humans in depth through his books and manuscripts, as well as the legacy this classification had in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

All books and manuscripts displayed are held in the Linnean Society’s collections, many of them from Carl Linnaeus’ own library and archive.

Content warning: this exhibition contains 18th-century language and concepts that may be upsetting. 

Curator: Dr Isabelle Charmantier

Advisory Curatorial Board:

• Dr Gus Casely-Hayford
• Subhadra Das
• Miranda Lowe
• Prof Staffan Müller-Wille
• Dr Jake Subryan Richards