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Catalogue number: 88oWAL(2)/p12
Drawing of the fish Curimatus schomburkii, made on the Rio Negro in South America, dated November 1851.
This is one of the fish drawings that survived the shipwreck of the 'Helen' as Wallace made his way back home from Brazil. In all 200 drawings were saved. This particular specimen is labelled as Curimatus schomburkii (Günther). It is drawn to scale at half actual size.
Wallace caught and sketched the fish while in a cramped canoe, travelling along the Rio Negro. The perfect detail of the work is typical of Wallace - his observations of the intricacies of the natural world set him on his way to co-discover the mechanism of evolution. Wallace had a scientific mind, a love of nature and exploration and, as we see here, was a talented artist.
For enquiries about the Wallace Collection please email the library
View high resolution scans and transcripts of Alfred Russel Wallace's correspondence, including all surviving letters between him and Charles Darwin.
