Records of the Department of Zoology

Records of the Natural History Museum's Department of Zoology consisting of:

• DF 200, Keeper's correspondence and files
• DF 201, Keeper's out-letters
• DF 202, Keeper's miscellaneous documents
• DF 203, Keeper's wartime papers and memoranda
• DF 204, Registers of departmental correspondence
• DF 205, Reports to trustees
• DF 218, accessions registers
• DF 219, Collection catalogues
• DF 234, Osteology Section: subject files
• DF 259, Parasitic Worms Section: correspondence

Topics

Museums and galleries

The Department of Zoology has its origins in the Department of Natural and Artificial Productions which was set up at the founding of the British Museum in 1756. In 1806 it was renamed the Department of Natural History and Modern Curiosities and was under the keepership of George Shaw (1751-1813) and later Charles Dietrich Eberhard Konig (1774-1851). Most of the records from this period remain in the archives of the British Museum, though there are a number of early letters and reports included in DF200 and DF205.

In 1836 the Department was divided into three branches, of which zoology was one, and in 1856 the branch was given the status of a department, with John Edward Gray (1800-1875) as the first Keeper, and a staff of 15. Gray made great progress in registering, cataloguing and exhibiting the growing collections, and was the first zoologist to gain and deserve scientific eminence through his work at the Museum. Although Gray pressed long and hard for a move to larger premises, he had been succeeded by Dr A Gunther (1830-1914) by the time the move to South Kensington took place in 1883. When Gunther retired in 1895 the department had a staff of 35, divided into the Vertebrate, Invertebrate and Insect Sections. In 1913 the Insect Section became the separate Department of Entomology.

In 1922 the department was divided into nine sections, including Mammals, Birds, Fishes, Mollusca and Crustacea. The number and precise designation of the sections has changed over the years, and by 1965 there were 17, each with its own head, and keeping its own records.

By 1965 the department was responsible for one of the largest and most important collections of zoological material in the world, and was an international centre for research in animal taxonomy and systematics. The research was supported by a fine departmental library, rich in manuscripts and rare books. The department was also responsible, in conjunction with the exhibition staff, for displays in the zoological galleries. Staff numbered 98, who between them saw to nearly 5,000 visitors a year, coped with the acquisition of over 35,000 specimens a year, and were responsible for over 100 monographs, papers and reports.