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Reconstructing Sloane
Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753)
Reconstructing Sloane
The Reconstructing Sloane project is a collaboration between CAHR, the British Museum and the British Library. It aims to reassemble the dispersed collection of eighteenth-century physician Sir Hans Sloane, providing a unique insight into his extraordinary life.
An outstanding collector
Sir Sloane (1660-1753) amassed one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of ‘natural and artificial rarities’ ever.
A trained botanist and physician, he collected a great number of plant specimens for medicinal purposes during a voyage to Jamaica in the 1680s.
Aiming to create an encyclopaedic collection, Sloane acquired mineral, botanic, and zoologic specimens from around the world, often acquiring collections formed by others.
His collections also include:
- ethnographic objects
- antiquities
- prints
- drawings
- books
- manuscript.
High society
Sloane was at the centre of a worldwide network of scholars and natural philosophers. He became physician to Queen Anne, George I, and George II, as well as President of both the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal Society.
His estate in Chelsea included the Apothecaries’ Garden (now the Chelsea Physic Garden).
Head of centre
Partners
Sloane's trade card for milk chocolate
Carved nautilus from Sloane's collections
Sapphire turban button from the collection of Sir Hans Sloane
Drawer of a selection of various entomological specimens from the Sloane Collection
Virginia Locus Tree
Dispersal of Sloane’s collections
After his death in 1753, Sloane’s collection was acquired by the nation. It was housed in the British Museum, which was established byan Act of Parliament that same year. As the British Museum expanded, parts of its collection (including many of Sloane’s specimens) were transferred to the Natural History Museum (in the 1880s) and the British Library (in the 1970s).
The dispersal of Sloane’s collections has greatly hindered our understanding of:
- the original collectors of items
- the geographical origins of objects
- how the collections were assembled.
The Reconstructing Sloane project aims to reconnect the disparate parts of Sloane’s collection through groundbreaking digital research. By working together, the British Museum, British Library and Natural History Museum hope to uncover the rich history of Sloane’s vast collection.