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NHM Library and Archives

@nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social
14.7K followers 1K following 395 posts

One of the finest collections of natural history literature, art and online resources. Come and research with us Tuesday - Thursday 10.00 - 16.00 (by appointment). linktr.ee/nhmlibraryarchives (Natural History Museum, London and Tring)

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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
View original plans and drawings of our historic building by the architect Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905), atmospheric Victorian photographs and reward posters, all telling the story of the Museum and the people who have shaped it, over nearly 150 years at South Kensington. #ExploreYourArchives
Five images of items from the Library and Archives turned into one image. Four black and white images equally share a quarter of the space. From top left, in a clockwise direction: A sketch of a pterodactyl, a photograph of a woman working on a wax model of an insect, a £750 reward poster for a stolen diamond and a public health poster titled 'Fly danger'. In the centre of the whole image, lying over the top, slightly translucent, is a colour drawing of a fly.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Beyond the Galleries Tour After a guided walk looking at the architecture of the Museum, relax in our Reading Room, and join one of our archivists for a show-and-tell display from the Museum Archives. For more information see the link in our bio. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #Archives
A man stands leaning over a large table looking at a mixture of archival items, some flat, bound and mounted. In the background you can see wall to wall bookshelves.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
We're not trying to lure you down a #FridayFeeling dino-shaped rabbit hole (okay, maybe we are), but have you seen the reel of our Gallery Albums, zooming in on Museum visitors past? See every page here: buff.ly/rbGgrFP #MuseumArchives #DigitisedCollections #FridayFaces #HistoryOfFashion
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Recent new additions to our library book collections 📚️ Visitors to our reading room can access our physical and online collections. ⬆️Use the link in our bio to learn more about our collections and how to make an appointment. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #Whale #Moths #Snakes #Botany
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
🔎Discovering the Okapi: Stories about the naming of a sensational new species. 🔎The Museum, creating advocates for the planet: The history of our exhibitions & galleries. 🔎Ordering & Naming Nature: Changing approaches to naming & classifying nature. 🔎Wild Walls: Exploring our terracotta building.
A large table displays a selection of artwork, archives and bound items. Four people around the table are engaging with two members of staff. Behind the table are wooden bookshelves.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
16 October 2026, 11.00 - 15.00. Location: Lasting Impressions Gallery. (Free, drop in.) Visitors to the Museum will have the opportunity to enter this collection space, speak with the Library and Archives team, and view a selection of material from across the collections. #NaturalHistoryMuseum
A group of people surround a display of artwork, archives and bound items on a large table. A member of staff has picked up an item on the display to show to one of the people. Surrounding the table are tall wooden bookshelves. 

The following information has been added to the image 'Library and Archives Open Day 16 October 2026 11.00 - 15.00.'
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Never judge a book by its cover or size... Deutschlands Giftpflanzen : zum Gebrauch für Schulen auf einer Tafel abgebildet und fasslich beschrieben, edited by Karl Gottlieb Plato (1829-1840). Germany's poisonous plants : depicted on a chart and described in accessible terms for use in schools.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
When the NHM opened in 1881, visitors with cameras had to buy a permit and send two copies of each print to the Museum’s collections. You can scroll through a few highlights from each album by swiping left in this post. See every page here: buff.ly/31893CL #MuseumArchives #DigitisedCollections
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Recent new additions to our library botanical journal collections 📚️ Visitors to our reading room can access our physical and online collections. ⬆️Use the link in our bio to learn more about our collections and how to make an appointment. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #Botany
Seven modern journals, all related to the natural sciences, laid out. Above are the words: Recent new additions to our botanical journal collections.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Thomas Pennant's (1726-1798) body of work spanned natural history, antiquities and travel. To celebrate his tercentenary, we've added his correspondence and catalogues to our Digital Special Collections: buff.ly/ZFULOe0. #Manuscripts #18thCentury #HistoryOfScience #HistoryOfNaturalHistory
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Every celebration deserves cake! In 1950, Museum botanist John Ramsbottom's retirement was marked with this fungi-bedecked baking showstopper! We wonder who got the Stinkhorn slice... #NaturalHistoryMuseum ##GBBO #Bakeoff #ExploreYourArchive
Black and white photograph of a large circular iced cake. There are 30 plus candles placed in a circle round the entire edge of the cake. The cake is elaborately decorated with hand piped icing on all the edges and eight different realistic mushrooms.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Yes, still a regular highlight for many.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The new Earth Galleries, with the now very familiar escalator and globe, opened on a staggered basis between 1996-1998. It wasn’t until 1998 that a proper corridor between the two buildings was opened, creating the feel of one museum. ‘Sophie’ the Stegosaurus skeleton went on display in 2014.
Neoclassical façade of the Geological Survey & Museum featuring four tall columns, an ornate carved pediment with a central roundel, a wooden double-door entrance and a small paved plaza in front.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The collections were divided: the BGS taking some to facilitate their continuing research, while the remainder – including 30,000 minerals, were transferred and incorporated into our Museum collections. During the mid-1990s, the building was redeveloped.
The entrance to the former 'Geological Survey and Museum'. These words are written into the stonework above the wooden entrance doors.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In 1965, it was merged with the British Geological Survey (BGS) @bgs.ac.uk. The BGS moved out of London to Keyworth, Nottinghamshire in 1980 and five years later, the Geological Museum, which had remained, was merged with the Natural History Museum.
The close up of the stonework above the entrance to the former 'Geological Survey and Museum'. These words are written into the stonework above the wooden entrance doors.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In the 1930s, the Museum moved to South Kensington from its home in Jermyn Street, London. One of the architects of the new building was Sir Richard Allinson, who had also designed the Science Museum. The Museum was re-opened in its new Exhibition Road location on 3 July 1935. #ExploreYourArchives
Neoclassical façade of the Geological Survey & Museum featuring four tall columns, an ornate carved pediment with a central roundel, a wooden double-door entrance and a small paved plaza in front.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Do you remember visiting the Geological Museum when the galleries looked like this? For many, it is a complete surprise to see this image from our archives. The Geological Museum was founded in 1835 by Sir Henry de la Beche; the first institution of its kind in the world. #NaturalHistoryMuseum
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A peek at what is on the returns shelf at our Ornithology Library @NHM_Tring. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #Booksky #ModernCollections #Birds #Nightjar #Penguin
Eight books in a pile, their spines facing the viewer and arranged in size order, largest at the bottom. The room behind them is white.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
🔎Discovering the Okapi: Stories about the naming of a sensational new species. 🔎The Museum, creating advocates for the planet: The history of our exhibitions & galleries. 🔎Ordering & Naming Nature: Changing approaches to naming & classifying nature. 🔎Wild Walls: Exploring our terracotta building.
A large table displays a selection of artwork, archives and bound items. Four people around the table are engaging with two members of staff. Behind the table are wooden bookshelves.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
16 October 2026, 11.00 - 15.00. Location: Lasting Impressions Gallery. (Free, drop in.) Visitors to the Museum will have the opportunity to enter this collection space, speak with the Library and Archives team, and view a selection of material from across the collections. #NaturalHistoryMuseum
A group of people surround a display of artwork, archives and bound items on a large table. A member of staff has picked up an item on the display to show to one of the people. Surrounding the table are tall wooden bookshelves. 

The following information has been added to the image 'Library and Archives Open Day 16 October 2026 11.00 - 15.00.'
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Dig Deeper: The Traveller with Andrea Wulf Tuesday 8 September 18:30–20:00 Join us for a special evening as acclaimed author Andrea Wulf explores the remarkable life and legacy of eighteenth-century naturalist George Forster. £25 (Members £15) Book tickets: buff.ly/3UGnwhq
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
View original plans and drawings of our historic building by the architect Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905), atmospheric Victorian photographs and reward posters, all telling the story of the Museum and the people who have shaped it, over nearly 150 years at South Kensington. #ExploreYourArchives
Five images of items from the Library and Archives turned into one image. Four black and white images equally share a quarter of the space. From top left, in a clockwise direction: A sketch of a pterodactyl, a photograph of a woman working on a wax model of an insect, a £750 reward poster for a stolen diamond and a public health poster titled 'Fly danger'. In the centre of the whole image, lying over the top, slightly translucent, is a colour drawing of a fly.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Beyond the Galleries Tour After a guided walk looking at the architecture of the Museum, cool down in our Reading Room, and join one of our archivists for a show-and-tell display from the Museum Archives. For more information see the link in our bio. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #Archives
A man stands leaning over a large table looking at a building plan. There are archival items at the other end of the table, flat and framed. In the background you can see a wall of bookshelves.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Our suggestions for places to head for: ✔️ Images of Nature Gallery ✔️ Bird Gallery ✔️ Hintze Hall (1st and 2nd floors) ✔️ Treasures Gallery #NaturalHistoryMuseum #SpecialCollections#MuseumArchives #SciArt #NatureInArt #ZoologicalArt #Audubon #Terracotta #Art #Drawings #Artist #Sketching #Observation
Looking over the shoulder of a person who is sketching the artwork that is hanging on a wall in front of them. The artwork depicts to large black and white owls. On their sketchbook they have chosen to sketch one of the owls on a branch.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The school holidays are here 🥳 We always find it inspiring to come across visitors drawing away, especially during the school holidays. You will find many opportunities to engage with Library and Archive collections in the public galleries. The perfect excuse to get your sketchbook out.
A close up of a person holding an art pad and pencil in front of an original artwork. They are holding a pencil in their right hand and written on the page are the words 'what will you draw?'. The artwork depicts three aye-aye.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Recent new additions to our library book collections 📚️ ⬆️Learn more about our collections and how to visit us via the link in our bio. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #ModernCollections #NaturalHistory #Science #Birds #Moths #Diptera #Minerals #Palaeontology #Algae #Flora #Botany #BookSky #Insects
Nine new books displayed on a large grey desk, they are different but all relate to natural history subjects. It is clear this is taken in a library reading room. In the background are more large desks, chairs, a tall ladder and floor to ceiling wooden bookshelves.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
⬆️ Use the link in our bio to the 'Digitised Collections' to view this collection and many others. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #DigitisedCollections #SpecialCollections
Two pages from a manuscript with multiple colourful watercolours of flowers and plants on each of them. Both pages include a person's signature.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Founded by John Frost in 1821, the Medico-Botanical Society of London existed until 1849. This signature book, contains twenty-six pages of signatures. Among them are dignitaries such as Queen Victoria, King William IV, and European royalty. It also features two watercolours by an unknown artist.
Two pages from a manuscript with multiple colourful watercolours of flowers and plants on each of them. The left-hand image has the signature 'Victoria' on it, which is Queen Victoria.Two images of a manuscript volume. The left-hand image is the front cover of the volume; it is a deep red binding with three metal fastenings along the right-hand side.  The image on the right is the handwritten title page, 'Signature book of the Medico-Botanical Society of London, instituted 1821.'
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Our suggestions for places to head to: ✔️ Images of Nature Gallery ✔️ Bird Gallery ✔️ Hintze Hall (1st and 2nd floors) ✔️ Treasures Gallery #NaturalHistoryMuseum #SpecialCollections#MuseumArchives #SciArt #NatureInArt #ZoologicalArt #Audubon #Terracotta #Art #Drawings #Artist #Sketching #Observation
Looking over the shoulder of a person who is sketching the artwork that is hanging on a wall in front of them. The artwork depicts to large black and white owls. On their sketchbook they have chosen to sketch one of the owls on a branch.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The school holidays are here 🥳 We always find it inspiring to come across visitors drawing away, especially during the school holidays. You will find many opportunities to engage with Library and Archive collections in the public galleries. The perfect excuse to get your sketchbook out.
A close up of a person holding an art pad and pencil in front of an original artwork. They are holding a pencil in their right hand and written on the page are the words 'what will you draw?'. The artwork depicts two birds.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Recent new additions to our library book collections 📚️ ⬆️Learn more about our collections and how to visit us via the link in our bio. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #ModernCollections #NaturalHistory #Science #Diptera #Minerals #Flora #Botany #Butterflies #BookSky #Insects #Thailand #Palaeontology
Seven books displayed on a library desk. In the background are wooden library bookshelves and in front of these is a white statue depicting a seated Charles Darwin reading a book.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
We hold a copy in our Library collections, but our fabulous counterparts at @mobotgarden.bsky.social have digitised their copy and it is freely available via @biodivlibrary.bsky.social. ⬆️Use our bio link to explore this item on the Biodiversity Heritage Library. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #NatureInArt
The printed title page of 'Micrographia: or some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses with observations and inquiries thereupon'. Red and black ink is used.Black and white illustrations on a page. They include ice crystal shapes.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
In 1665 Robert Hooke (1635 – 1703), scientist, biologist, astronomer and architect, published 'Micrographia', containing illustrations of specimens studied under a microscope. At the time a ground breaking way to study and view the natural world. #Entomology #SciArt #SpecialCollections
A black and white printed illustration of a flea, viewed from the side, as seen down a microscope.Black and white published illustration that fills the page. It is the depiction of a fly, head on, as seen through a microscope.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
The keen eyed will have noticed that of course we meant it was his 306th birthday!! 🥳🎁
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Today is the 206th birthday of naturalist Gilbert White (1720-1793). But who was he and why is he important? For more in-depth knowledge than we can fit here, see buff.ly/ykmOf4V or visit buff.ly/O0qUNt7. Happy birthday, Gilbert! #otd
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
🦋 The Varieties of British butterflies 🪶 Cassowaries prepared for possible publication in Walter Rothschild's Monograph of the genus Casuarius. 🦘 Tree-kangaroos of the genus Dendrolagus ⬆️ Use the link in our bio to the 'Digitised Collections' to view these collections and to explore many others.
A watercolour drawing of two brown Tree kangaroos. They are depicted sitting on branches.A page of watercolours which is placed on a scanner with a colour collaboration chart next to it. The watercolours are of two butterflies. The top one is drawn side on, with the side of one wing and the body in view. It is shades of orange and brown. The bottom butterfly is viewed flat from above. The left wing is dark brown and the right dark blue.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Born on this day in 1861, Frederick William Frohawk (1861-1946) was an English zoological artist, author and naturalist. Our Library Special Collections hold a significant number of his original artwork and publications. We have digitised three collections of his watercolours. #NaturalHistoryMuseum
Watercolour drawing of the head of a Cassowary bird. It is black, blue and red in colour.Watercolour of a pheasant bird. The body of the bird is white and the head is blue, green and red.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Out now! The Summer 2026 issue of the Museum's Magazine, free to Museum members & subscribers of Apple News+ & Readly. Featuring articles on the creation of the #NaturalHistoryMuseum, by Karolyn Shindler, & tales of the Abominable snowman from the #Archives, by Assistant Archivist, Rebecca Keddie.
Man in 19th-century formal attire—black suit with a red academic gown—stands with one hand on his hip and the other resting on a large fossilized thigh bone displayed on a draped table.Coiled bright green pit viper with textured scales and a vertical pupil against a black background, overlaid by large white headline Beauty balance bite and small Natural History Museum branding promoting a Summer 2026 feature about snakes.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
🔎Writing from the Field: Diaries, letters & other ways scientists and explorers have recorded their experiences. 🔎Whales, Science & Conservation: Whales & the change in behaviour around their study & conservation. 🔎Ordering & Naming Nature: Changing approaches to naming & classifying nature.
View of a library reading room with floor to ceiling wooden book shelves. In the centre of the image there a two table displays of artwork, books and manuscripts with people standing around the tables. The image has been taken on long exposure so the people moving across the room are blurred.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Friday 17 July 2026, 11.00 - 15.00. Location: Lasting Impressions Gallery. (Free, drop in.) Visitors will have the opportunity to enter this collection space, speak with the Library & Archives team, & view a selection of material from across the collections. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #SciArt
Four smiling people stand in a line behind a table which displays a varied collection of items from a library and archive. There are books lying open in foam supports and mounted artwork standing upright. Each is accompanied with a label. The items contain text and illustrations, all the images relate to animals and plants, including fish and a koala.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
We're hiring! Come work with us as a Project Library and Archives Assistant. See more at buff.ly/CkgpFwK, or check the Current Vacancies section of the NHM website. #Hiring #Jobs #GLAMJobs #LibraryJobs
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
She is in great company with the fascinating variety of research being presented over the three days at @officialzsl #LondonZoo #SHNH #RichardOwen #Science #NaturalHistory
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Our very own Andrea Hart @drewy_hart (Head of Special Collections) presenting her poster at the Society for the History of Natural History conference. ‘From carcass to knowledge: dissecting the zoo with Richard Owen (1804 - 1892).’ @natural_history_museum @officialzsl
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Recent new additions to our library book collections 📚️ ⬆️Learn more about our collections and how to visit us via the link in our bio. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #ModernCollections #NaturalHistory #Science #Fossils #Palaeontology #Iceland #Linnaeus #Moths #BookSky
Five books displayed on a table. In the background you can library desks, bookshelves and a library ladder.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
POV: Hearing the ice-cream van on your lunch break. From a collection of forty-nine original watercolour drawings by Ferdinand Bauer (1760-1826). ⬆️ See link in our bio to the 'Digitised Collections' to view this collection and to explore many others. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #UKHeatWave #HeatWaveUK
Original watercolour of two brightly coloured Weedy seadragons. They look very similar and are shades of orange, yellow and pink.

Image: 38 Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Weedy seadragon) by Ferdinand Bauer (1760-1826). From a collection of forty-nine original watercolour drawings of animals which were collected when accompanying the voyage under Capt. M. Flinders to Australia.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
POV: You have the iceberg, but no piña colada big enough to get you through the UK heatwave. #UKHeatWave #HeatWaveUK #Iceberg #KeepingItCool #IceIceBaby #NaturalHistoryMuseum
This black and white photograph is one of the first ever taken of Antarctic icebergs. The photo was taken in February 1874, during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) funded by the British Government for scientific purposes. The expedition is believed to have been the first to carry an official photographer.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Feeling crabby in this week's hot weather? Distract yourself with a lovely picture of a purple-legged crustacean. Pl. 39 Portunus pelagicus by Ferdinand Bauer (1760-1826). ⬆️ See link in our bio to the 'Digitised Collections' to view this collection and explore many others. #NaturalHistoryMuseum
Original watercolour of a crab. The main body is green and the legs and claws are shades of grey, purple and blue.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Due to the extreme weather alert this week, but have taken the decision to postpone our planned open day. We will let you know when the next open day is, as soon as we can. Stay tuned!
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Recent new additions to our library book collections 📚️ ⬆️Learn more about our collections and how to visit us via the link in our bio. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #ModernCollections #NaturalHistory #Science #Wetlands #Fossils #LandSnails #Butterflies #Moths #BookSky
Six books displayed on a big grey table. In the background are book shelves, a library ladder and library desks.
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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
It was in one of twenty-two 18thC papers on botany, bound as two volumes (urg). So close! We shall keep our eyes peeled when auditing #Diptera...
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