Meet the Museum’s Wallace experts

George Beccaloni

As well as being the Museum’s Curator of Orthopteroid Insects (grasshoppers and relatives), George is the Director of the Wallace Correspondence Project.

George played a key role in helping the Museum buy the world's largest and most important collection of Wallace’s manuscripts, books and insect specimens from his grandsons in 2002.

George has studied aspects of Wallace's life and work for about 12 years and is a co-executor of Wallace’s literary estate. The Wallace Memorial Fund he founded has restored Wallace’s grave in Broadstone, Dorset, and paid for monuments at his birthplace and elsewhere.

George has written several articles about Wallace and is co-editor of the acclaimed book Natural Selection and Beyond: The Intellectual Legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace, which was published by Oxford University Press in 2008, with a 2nd edition in 2010. He was series consultant for Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero, shown on BBC Two in April 2013. George shares his experiences of working on the programme on the BBC website.

Read George's article on the BBC website

Caroline Catchpole

As the archivist for the Wallace Correspondence Project, Caroline is responsible for obtaining Wallace’s correspondence from over 100 institutions around the world, arranging for them to be transcribed, and updating the Museum’s vast catalogue. The searchable digital collection, Wallace Letters Online, will launch during Wallace's centenary year.

Caroline's interest in Wallace stems from a wider interest in 19th century natural history collecting and admiration for the scientific pioneers of the Victorian era, whose endeavours and collections we are still learning from today.

Wallace Letters Online is the first time all of Wallace’s correspondence is being brought together in one place, offering new opportunities for research into this great naturalist’s life and scientific study.

Judith Magee

Judith is Collections Development Manager in the Museum’s Library and curates the historical collections of rare books, artwork and manuscripts. One of the largest single collections is that of Alfred Russel Wallace. 

In addition to a large amount of correspondence, the Wallace Collection includes manuscript notes, journals, drawings and photographs. The collection reflects Wallace’s wide-ranging interest in the scientific, political and cultural issues of his time, which Judith says makes it fascinating for scholars of both science and the humanities. She is managing the Museum’s activities for Wallace100, the centenary celebration of Wallace's legacy.

Judith has been at the Museum since 1994. Her main interests are the collectors, artists and naturalists of the 18th and 19th centuries and she has published a number of books on these topics, including Art of India in 2012.