The unsung hands that built the foundations of modern natural history collections
In short: For centuries, history books have celebrated solitary European naturalists for single-handedly revolutionizing science. Yet, these discoveries relied heavily on the overlooked labor of enslaved people, Indigenous healers, and local collectors. From the Caribbean to West Africa, their expertise and forced labor remain embedded in the very specimens we study today.
The growth of European natural history during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was inextricably linked to the transatlantic trade of enslaved people. Ships transporting human beings across the Atlantic also carried the botanical and zoological specimens that would form the core of major institutions, such as the Natural History Museum in London. Collectors like James Petiver, who rarely left his London home, relied on a network where roughly 25% to 33% of his contributors were involved in the slave trade. Similarly, Sir Hans Sloane, whose vast collection serves as the foundation for the museum, funded his endeavors through the profits of his wife Elizabeth Langley Rose’s Jamaican sugar plantations, which were worked by enslaved people.
The reliance on enslaved labor was not merely logistical; it was intellectual. European naturalists frequently exploited the unique knowledge of local plants and animals held by Indigenous people and enslaved Africans. For instance, Graman Quassi, a botanist and healer, identified the medicinal properties of the plant Quassia amara, which could treat internal parasites and fever. While his discovery was purchased by a European student and later immortalized by Carl Linnaeus, who named the genus after him, Quassi remains a complex, controversial figure who also participated in the recapture of escaped enslaved people.
Today, these historical specimens are far more than relics; they are active tools in modern research. Scientists compare Sloane’s eighteenth-century samples with contemporary ones to track atmospheric pollution, and type specimens remain essential for the accurate naming of species. However, because documentation conventions often excluded the contributions of non-European collectors, the true provenance of many items is lost. Recognizing these hidden figures is not just a matter of historical record, but a necessary step in understanding the colonial systems that underpinned the development of the natural sciences.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Hidden Figures of Natural History | Live Talk with NHM Scientist
- Also: Hidden figures: Forgotten contributions to natural history | Natural History Museum
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