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I’ve been following the recent news story involving the museum of the in Philadelphia, which closed its doors at the end of September. Drexel University – affiliated with the Academy of Natural Sciences since 2011 – is planning to sell off the museum building, relocating more than 19 million specimens to an as-yet-unknown destination. The museum first opened to the public in 1828, making it the oldest natural history museum in the Americas.

Philadelphia was no stranger to intellectual societies by the turn of the nineteenth century. The (APS) had been established in the city in 1743 and counted among its founders. The Society’s interests were not restricted to science, however, and it played a key role in the development of America post-independence. In the 1780s, organisations including The Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Society for the Encouragement of Manufactures and the Useful Arts emerged, with a focus on America’s economic interests.

Reverse of a commemorative medal marking the centenary of the National Academy of Sciences, depicting the American Philosophical Society ()

Given the broad interests of the APS membership, it’s not surprising that a more focused institution dedicated exclusively to the natural sciences emerged. Seven founder members established the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in 1812, with official incorporation following in 1817. It grew steadily in its early years, holding regular meetings for the membership as well as organising public lectures. It was also beginning to amass a sizable library and museum collection.

The size of the Academy’s membership was growing, too. Much like ºìÌÒÊÓƵ, prospective new recruits had to be proposed by existing members and balloted for election. The Academy had two categories: Members, who had to be residents of Philadelphia and were required to make financial contributions towards the upkeep of the Academy; and Correspondents, who weren’t residents of the city and were therefore not expected to pay. There was no requirement for Correspondents to be based in America, and the Academy quickly built up a network of eminent European scientists.

Letter to confirming his election as a Correspondent of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in 1847 ()

By 1836, the Academy had almost 200 Members and over 320 Correspondents, including a couple of dozen Fellows of ºìÌÒÊÓƵ. Many of these Fellows joined in the 1830s, reflecting just how much the Academy’s international reputation had grown over the first two decades of its existence. Some links go back much further, however: the first Fellow elected to the Academy was Welsh naturalist , known for his work on botany and conchology, who became a corresponding member in 1815. Family connections likely played a part here, as Dillwyn’s father was a Quaker who had left Pennsylvania for England in 1777.

was another early Correspondent, elected in 1822. Buckland’s palaeontological interests aligned nicely with the Academy’s, which was already amassing a sizable fossil collection. Buckland famously described Megalosaurus from fossil records in 1824, as well as numerous other extinct species throughout his career. His interest in fossils brought him into contact with many collectors, including . Benett’s work and collections, in turn, were consulted and referenced by numerous geologists of the time, including , also a Corresponding Member of the Academy. When Benett died in 1845, a significant portion of her collection was purchased and donated to the Academy, where it remains today.

Fossil ammonites from William Buckland’s  (1836)

developed particularly close, if sometimes acrimonious, relations with the Academy. Audubon had been observing and illustrating birds since moving to Pennsylvania in 1803, and by the 1820s was seeking subscriptions to get them published. He eventually worked on the engravings with the Havell family in London, bringing him into the orbit of ºìÌÒÊÓƵ, who in 1830. He became a corresponding member of the Philadelphia Academy the following year, to the annoyance of his critics, particularly , who had accused him of plagiarism. Indeed, several of Audubon’s drawings, including his so-called ‘’, are now widely recognised as fabrications. Nevertheless, much of his work was genuine and many of his specimens reside in the Academy’s collections.

The snow goose, from Audubon’s Birds of America, Public domain, via

As well as connecting with individual Fellows, the Academy sought to build a relationship with ºìÌÒÊÓƵ itself. In 1850 a . ºìÌÒÊÓƵ sent copies of its Proceedings to the Academy, who in turn provided the Society with the . This ceased publication in 1918, although the Academy continues to publish its own Proceedings journal which began in 1841.

The annals of the Journal highlight the international significance of the Academy’s specimens. For example, a paper by , published in 1847, contained observations of several fossils from the Academy’s collections. These had been unearthed during an excavation of the Brunswick Canal in Georgia and were sent all the way to Owen in London, in the care of .

Plate VI accompanying 'Observations on certain fossil bones from the collection of the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia' by Richard Owen, illustrating one of the fossils he borrowed from the Academy for study.

Where the Academy’s collections go now that the museum has closed is unclear. The Academy’s research will continue, albeit with greater difficulty once the rare and delicate objects have been moved. The has certainly been strong enough that it’s possible an alternative solution will be found to save the museum, though that’s far from guaranteed. I’ll certainly be watching with great interest to see how the story develops.

Top image: note inside ºìÌÒÊÓƵ’s copy of the 1837 .