Cabinet of Wonders Personal Collection of Alfred Russel Wallace?
Cabinet of Wonders: Personal Collection of Alfred Russel Wallace?
Alfred Russel Wallace. Source: http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-148304/Alfred-Russel-Wallace-detail-of-a-painting-over-a-photograph
Alfred Russel Wallace was born in England in 1823. He worked with his brother surveying land throughout England, which is when his interest in natural history grew. In 1866, Wallace married his wife, Annie, and they had three children. He died in 1913 in his home and was buried in a public cemetary a few days later.
Wallace & Evolution[]
Wallace spent time collecting specimens during his time as a land surveyor. He also traveled extensively and spent time in Brazil and the Malay Archipelago. In 1855, he wrote "Sarawak Law" which caught the eye of geologist, Charles Lyell. Lyell shared this information with Charles Darwin. A few years later, while suffering from what was believed to be malaria, Wallace wrote to Darwin himself, explaining his ideas on evolution and natural selection. Lyell and Joseph Hooker presented both Darwin's and Wallace's ideas as a meeting of the Linnean Society. This was done without Wallace's knowledge or permission. Darwin's contributions were placed before Wallace's and Darwin received more recognition for the theory of Evolution.
After the incident with the Linnean Society, Wallace continued studying flora and fauna. He studied movement of species in the Malay Archipelago. The "Wallace Line " separated the islands of Bali and Lombok and Borneo and Sulawesi and shows the extent and limits of Asian and Australian animals.