The Wagner Free Institute of Science
September 14, 2011

The Wagner Free Institute of Science in Philadelphia is a perfect example of an Victorian collection. It is a large and diverse collection of animals, fossil remains and minerals which follows the common theme of the Natural Sciences. Started in 1855 by William Wagner, a Philadelphia amateur scientist, the Institute is dedicated to providing the greater public with a free education in the Natural Sciences. The specimens have been submitted over the years by other Scientists and enthusiasts in the field. The display is arranged meticulously by Taxonomy, and attempts to encompass the whole range of classifications of the species and materials represented there. The museum floor is itself a larger, more comprehensive version of the Victorian 'Curiosity Cabinet'. It's intent is to present to the public with an organized resemblance of the natural world.
Every creature from the smallest of gnats to the whale are represented here in some form. Sometimes just the bones or fossilized remains of more ancient creatures are in evidence, though in a large part animals are exhibited entire in taxidermy. Minerals from the earth are on display from around the globe, and there is also a wide selection of seashells to be seen. If it flies, creeps on land, tunnels beneath the ground or swims in the ocean it has been collected, preserved, classified and presented to the public for free viewing.
The context of the collection shows its influence quite clearly, reminding us of the tremendous impact Charles Darwin's work had on the the 19th century Scientific studies of the natural world. That influence is still evident in the way that we educate ourselves about the natural world today. The social relevance of the Wagner collection is that it has been provided free of any charge to scholars and the merely curious alike. The central idea being a kind of 'catalogue of contents' of what God or the Universe has created. Mankind is represented both within the collection, and by the spectator attending it. The implication being that he is in his most proper role of dominion - on the outside of the glass display, looking in. The value of the Wagner museum resides in the idea that we are the highest of the natural order, and therefore capable of most fully comprehending and controlling it.