 The Field Museum's south front | |
  Location within Chicago metropolitan area Show map of Chicago metropolitan area Field Museum of Natural History (Illinois) Show map of Illinois Field Museum of Natural History (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Established | June 2, 1894; 130 years ago (1894-06-02)[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Near South Side,Chicago,United States |
| Coordinates | 41°51′58″N87°37′01″W / 41.86611°N 87.61694°W /41.86611; -87.61694 |
| Visitors | 1,018,000 (2022)[2] |
| President | Julian Siggers |
| Public transit access |  MetraME South Shore LineatMuseum Campus/11th Street  RooseveltRedOrangeGreen |
| Website | www |
Field Museum of Natural History | |
.jpg) Stanley Field Hall | |
| Built | 1921; 104 years ago (1921) |
| Architect | Daniel Burnham,Pierce Anderson |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000647[3] |
| Added to NRHP | September 5, 1975 |
TheField Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known asThe Field Museum, is anatural history museum inChicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world.[4] The museum is popular for the size and quality of itseducational andscientific programs,[5][6] and its extensive scientificspecimen andartifact collections.[7] The permanent exhibitions,[8] which attract up to 2 million visitors annually, includefossils, currentcultures from around the world, andinteractive programming demonstrating today's urgentconservation needs.[9][10] The museum is named in honor of its first majorbenefactor,Marshall Field, thedepartment-storemagnate. The museum and its collections originated from the 1893World's Columbian Exposition and the artifacts displayed at the fair.[11][12]
The museum maintains a temporary exhibition program of traveling shows as well as in-house produced topical exhibitions.[13] The professional staff maintains collections of over 24 million specimens and objects that provide the basis for the museum's scientific-research programs.[4][7][14] These collections include the full range of existingbiodiversity,gems,meteorites,fossils, and extensiveanthropological collections and cultural artifacts from around the globe.[7][15][16][17] The museum's library, which contains over 275,000 books, journals, and photo archives focused on biological systematics, evolutionary biology, geology, archaeology, ethnology and material culture, supports the museum's academic-research faculty and exhibit development.[18] Theacademic faculty and scientific staff engage infield expeditions, in biodiversity and cultural research on every continent, in local and foreign student training, and instewardship of the rich specimen and artifact collections. They work in close collaboration with public programming exhibitions and education initiatives.[14][19][20][21]
In 1869, and before its formal establishment, the museum acquired the largest collection of birds and bird descriptions, from artist and ornithologistDaniel Giraud Elliot. In 1894, Elliot would become the curator of the Department of Zoology at the museum, where he worked until 1906.[22][23]
To house the exhibits and collections assembled for theWorld's Columbian Exposition for future generations,Edward Ayer convinced the merchantMarshall Field to fund the establishment of a museum.[11][12][24] Originally titled theColumbian Museum of Chicago in honor of its origins, the Field Museum was incorporated by the State of Illinois on September 16, 1893, for the purpose of the "accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition of artifacts illustrating art, archaeology, science and history".[25] The Columbian Museum of Chicago occupied the only building remaining from the World's Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park, the Palace of Fine Arts. It is now home to the ChicagoMuseum of Science and Industry.[10]
In 1905, the museum's name was changed toField Museum of Natural History to honor its first major benefactor and to reflect its focus on the natural sciences.[26]
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Stanley Field was the president in 1906.[27]
During the period from 1943 to 1966,[28][29][30] the museum was known as theChicago Natural History Museum. In 1921, the Museum moved from its original location inJackson Park to its present site on Chicago Park District property near downtown Chicago.[31] By the late 1930s the Field Museum had emerged as one of the three premier museums in the United States, the other two being theAmerican Museum of Natural History in New York City and theNational Museum of Natural History at theSmithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.[5]
The museum has maintained its reputation through continuous growth, expanding the scope of collections and its scientific research output, in addition to its award-winning exhibitions, outreach publications, and programs.[6][14][19][32] The Field Museum is part of Chicago's lakefrontMuseum Campus that includes theJohn G. Shedd Aquarium and theAdler Planetarium.[9]
In 2015, it was reported that an employee had defrauded the museum of $900,000 over a seven-year period to 2014.[33]
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The Museum received 1,018,002 visitors in 2022, ranking it 21st in theList of most-visited museums in the United States.[34]
Animal exhibitions anddioramas such as Nature Walk, Mammals of Asia, and Mammals of Africa allow visitors an up-close look at the diverse habitats that animals inhabit. Most notably featured are theman-eating lions of Tsavo.[35] TheMfuwe man eating lion is also on display.
| Species represented in the Animal Halls | Gallery |
|---|---|
| Aardvark | Mammals of Africa |
| African Buffalo | Mammals of Africa |
| African Elephant | Stanley Field Hall |
| Alaskan Brown Bear | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Argali | Mammals of Asia |
| Barasingha | Mammals of Asia |
| Beaver | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Beisa Oryx | Mammals of Africa |
| Bengal Tiger | Mammals of Asia |
| Blackbuck Antelope | Mammals of Asia |
| Black Rhinoceros | Mammals of Africa |
| Black Wildebeest | Mammals of Africa |
| Bongo | Mammals of Africa |
| Burchell's Zebra | Mammals of Africa |
| Capybara | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Caribou | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Caribbean Manatee | Sea Mammals |
| Cattle Egret | Mammals of Asia |
| Cheetah | Mammals of Africa |
| Chital | Mammals of Asia |
| Common Eland | Mammals of Africa |
| Cougar | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Dibatag | Mammals of Africa |
| Lion | Mammals of Africa |
| Elephant Seal | Sea Mammals |
| Gaur | Mammals of Asia |
| Gelada Baboon | Mammals of Africa |
| Gerenuk | Mammals of Africa |
| Giant Anteater | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Giant Forest Hog | Mammals of Africa |
| Giant Panda | Mammals of Asia |
| Giant Sable Antelope | Mammals of Africa |
| Glacier Bear | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Grant's Gazelle | Mammals of Africa |
| Greater Kudu | Mammals of Africa |
| Guanocos | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Hog Deer | Mammals of Asia |
| Hyacinth Macaws | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Ibex | Mammals of Asia |
| Imperial Woodpecker | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Indian Gazelle | Mammals of Asia |
| Indian Rhinoceros | Mammals of Asia |
| Indian Sambar | Mammals of Asia |
| Jaguar | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Leopard | Mammals of Asia |
| Lesser Kudu | Mammals of Africa |
| Mantled Guereza | Mammals of Africa |
| Malay Tapir | Mammals of Asia |
| Marsh Deer | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Mexican Grizzly Bear | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Mountain Nyala | Mammals of Africa |
| Mule Deer | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Muskoxen | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Narwhal | Sea Mammals |
| Nilgai | Mammals of Asia |
| Northern Fur Seal | Sea Mammals |
| Orangutan | Mammals of Asia |
| Plains Zebra | Mammals of Africa |
| Polar Bear | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Proboscis Monkey | Mammals of Asia |
| Pronghorn | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Reticulated Giraffe | Mammals of Africa |
| Roosevelt Elk | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Sea Otter | Sea Mammals |
| Sloth Bear | Mammals of Asia |
| Snow Leopard | Mammals of Asia |
| Somali Wildass | Mammals of Africa |
| Spotted Hyena | Mammals of Africa |
| Striped Hyena | Mammals of Asia |
| Swayne's Hartebeest | Mammals of Africa |
| Takin | Mammals of Asia |
| Tapir | Messages from the Wilderness |
| Thomas' Uganda Kob | Mammals of Africa |
| Walrus | Sea Mammals |
| Wart Hog | Mammals of Africa |
| Water Buffalo | Mammals of Asia |
| Weddell Seal | Sea Mammals |
| White Rhinoceros | Mammals of Africa |
| Yellow-checked Gibbon | Mammals of Asia |
Evolving Planet follows the evolution of life on Earth over 4 billion years. The exhibit showcases fossils ofsingle-celled organisms,Permiansynapsids,dinosaurs, extinctmammals, and earlyhominids.[36] The Field Museum's non-mammaliansynapsid collection consists of over 1100 catalogued specimens, including 46 holotypes. The collection of basal synapsids includes 29 holotypes ofcaseid,ophiacodontid,edaphosaurid,varanopid, andsphenacodontid species – approximately 88% of catalogued specimens.[37]
Inside Ancient Egypt offers a glimpse into what life was like for ancientEgyptians. Twenty-three humanmummies are on display as well as many mummified animals. The exhibit features a three-storyreplica (featuring two authentic rooms with 5,000-year-oldhieroglyphs) of themastaba tomb ofUnas-Ankh, the son ofUnas (the last pharaoh of theFifth Dynasty). Also displayed are an ancient marketplace showing artifacts of everyday life, ashrine to thecatgoddessBastet, and dioramas showing the afterlife preparation process for the dead.[38]
In 2024 the museum performed CT scans on 26 of their mummies.[39]
The Ancient Americas displays 13,000 years of human ingenuity and achievement in the Western Hemisphere, where hundreds of diverse societies thrived long before the arrival of Europeans. In this large permanent exhibition visitors can learn the epic story of the peopling of these continents, from the Arctic to the tip of South America.[40] The exhibit consists of six displays: Ice Age Hunters, Innovative Hunters and Gatherers, Farming Villagers, Powerful Leaders, Rulers and Citizens, and Empire Builders. Visitors are encouraged to begin with Ice Age Hunters and conclude with Empire Builders.[41] In this way, visitors can understand the cultural and economic progression of the Ancient Americas. Throughout the exhibit, collections are displayed in a way that emphasizes the cultural context of the artifacts.
The six displays draw from the Field Museum's massive North America collection. Significant collections utilized by the exhibit include pre-Columbian artifacts gathered by Mayanists Edward H. Thompson and John E. S. Thompson.[42] Additionally, former curator Paul Sidney Martin's American Southwest collection makes up a significant portion of the "Farming Villagers" display.[43] The Empire Builders display includes Aztec and Incan artifacts gathered in the 19th century.[44]
The Ancient Americas exhibit transitions to the Alsdorf Hall of Northwest Coast and Arctic Peoples and eventually the Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories exhibit. This emphasizes the thematic unity of the Field Museum's American collections.[45]
Cultural exhibitions include sections onTibet andChina, where visitors can view traditional clothing.[46] There is also an exhibit on life inAfrica, where visitors can learn about the many different cultures on the continent,[47] and an exhibit where visitors may "visit" severalPacific Islands.[48] The museum houses an authentic 19th-centuryMāori Meeting House, Ruatepupuke II,[49] fromTokomaru Bay,New Zealand. Additionally, the Field Museum's Northwest Coast Collections showcase the early work ofFranz Boas andFrederic Ward Putnam's work with theKwakwakaʼwakw (Kwakiutl) people in the Alsdorf Hall of Northwest Coast and Arctic Peoples.[50] Finally, theNative Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories permanent exhibition displays the Field Museum's current collaborative efforts with the indigenous people of North America.[51]
The Africa cultural hall opened at the Field Museum in November 1993. It offers 14 different displays that are primarily ethnographic in nature. Several African countries are exhibited as well as a variety of geographical areas including theSahara andEast African rift valley. The final section is dedicated to the African diaspora with a particular focus on the impact of theslave trade on the continent.[52] The Africa permanent exhibit owes most of its collection to the efforts of Wilfred D. Hambly.[53]
This extensive permanent exhibition covers two culture areas that were vitally important to the early work of the Field Museum—theArctic andPacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest collection is more extensive, but both collections are organized into four categories: subsistence, village and society, the spiritual world, and art. Major displays include a variety of dioramas and a large collection oftotem poles.[50] The current permanent exhibition has its origins in theMaritime Peoples hall created by the Field Museum's curator of North American archaeology and ethnology James VanStone.[54]
The Cyrus Tang Hall ofChina opened as a permanent exhibition in 2015. The hall consists of five sections: Diverse Landscapes, Ritual and Power, Shifting Power, Beliefs and Practices, and Crossing Boundaries. The first three sections are organized chronologically while the final two sections are organized by theme. Three hundred and fifty objects are displayed throughout the five galleries.[46] These artifacts are a sample chosen from the Field Museum's significant China collection. This collection was gathered by the sinologistBerthold Laufer.[55]
Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories opened as a permanent exhibition in 2021. This exhibit is an extensive renovation of the former Native American Hall at the Field Museum.Native Truths utilizes about 400 artifacts to interpret Native American culture and history while also addressing modern-day challenges.[51] The exhibition is a result of a changing attitude towards Native Americans that emphasized Native peoples instead of Native artifacts.[56]
This exhibit is dedicated to the natural and cultural history of thePacific Islands and is organized into five different sections: the natural history of the islands, the cultural origins of Pacific Islanders, a canoe display, an ethnographic collection showcasing New Guinea'sHuon Gulf, and a modern Tahitian market. The final portion of the exhibit is dedicated to the ceremonial arts of the Pacific peoples.[57] The majority of the collection was gathered by curatorAlbert Buell Lewis.[58] Building upon Lewis' desire to portray cultures as living and participative, the exhibit was intentionally designed to demonstrate how the Pacific Islands interact with the contemporary world.[59]
The Grainger Hall of Gems consists of a large collection of diamonds and gems from around the world, and also includes aLouis Comfort Tiffany stained glass window.[60] The Hall of Jades focuses on Chinesejade artifacts spanning 8,000 years.[61] The Robert A. Pritzker Center for Meteoritics and Polar Studies contains a large collection offossil meteorites.[62][63]
The Underground Adventure gives visitors a bug's-eye look at the world beneath their feet. Visitors can see whatinsects andsoil look like from that size, while learning about the biodiversity of soil and the importance of healthy soil.[64]
On May 17, 2000, the Field Museum unveiledSue, the largestT. rex specimen discovered at the time. Sue has a length of 40.5 feet (12.3 m), stands 13 feet (4.0 m) tall at the hips, and has been estimated at 8.4–14 metric tons (9.26–15.4short tons) as of 2018.[65][66] The specimen is estimated to be 67 million years old. The fossil was named after the person who discovered it,Sue Hendrickson, and is commonly referred to as female, although the dinosaur's actual sex is unknown.[67] The original skull is not mounted to the body due to the difficulties in examining the specimen 13 feet off the ground, and for nominal aesthetic reasons (the replica does not require a steel support under the mandible). An examination of the bones revealed that Sue died at age 28, a record for the fossilized remains of aT. rex untilTrix was found in 2013. In December 2018 after revisions of the skeletal assembly were made to reflect new concepts of Sue's structure,[68] display of the skeleton was moved into a new suite inThe Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet.[69]
Professionally managed and maintained specimen and artifact collections, such as those at the Field Museum of Natural History, are a major research resource for the national and internationalscientific community, supporting extensive research that tracksenvironmental changes, benefitshomeland security,public health andsafety, and servestaxonomy andsystematicsresearch.[70] Many of Field Museum's collections rank among the top ten collections in the world, e.g., the bird skin collection ranks fourth worldwide;[71][72] the mollusk collection is among the five largest in North America;[73] the fish collection is ranked among the largest in the world.[74]The scientific collections of the Field Museum originate from the specimens and artifacts assembled between 1891 and 1893 for the World Columbian Exposition.[14][25][75][76][77] Already at its founding, the Field Museum had a large anthropological collection.[78]
A large number of the early natural history specimens were purchased from Ward's Natural History Establishment[79] inRochester, New York. An extensive acquisition program, including large expeditions conducted by the museum's curatorial staff resulted in substantial collection growth.[10][14][80] During the first 50 years of the museum's existence, over 440 Field Museum expeditions acquired specimens from all parts of the world.[81]
In addition, material was added through purchase, such asH. N. Patterson'sherbarium in 1900,[82] and theStreckerbutterfly collection in 1908.[83]
Extensive specimen material and artifacts were given to the museum bycollectors anddonors, such as the Boone collection of over 3,500East Asian artifacts, consisting of books, prints and various objects. In addition, "orphaned collections" were and are taken in from other institutions such as universities that change their academic programs away from collections-based research. For example, already beginning in 1907, Field Museum accepted substantialbotanical specimen collections from universities such asUniversity of Chicago,Northwestern University andUniversity of Illinois at Chicago, into itsherbarium. These specimens are maintained and continuously available for researchers worldwide.[14] TheIndex Herbariorum code assigned to this botanic garden isF[84] and it is used when citing housed specimens. Targeted collecting in the US and abroad for research programs of the curatorial and collection staff continuously add high quality specimen material and artifacts; e.g.,Dr. Robert Inger's collection offrogs fromBorneo as part of his research into the ecology and biodiversity of theIndonesianfauna.[16][85][86]
Collecting of specimens and acquisition of artifacts is nowadays subject to clearly spelled-out policies and standards, with the goal to acquire only materials and specimens for which theprovenance can be established unambiguously. All collecting of biological specimens is subject to proper collecting and exportpermits; frequently, specimens are returned to their country of origin after study. Field Museum stands among the leading institutions developing suchethics standards and policies; Field Museum was an early adopter ofvoluntary repatriation practices of ethnological and archaeological artifacts.[10][78]
Field Museum collections are professionally managed[87] by collection managers and conservators, who are skilled in preparation and preservation techniques. Numerous maintenance and collection management tools were and are being advanced at Field Museum. For example,Carl Akeley's development oftaxidermy excellence produced the first natural-looking mammal and bird specimens for exhibition as well as for study.[88] Field Museum curators developed standards and best practices for the care of collections.[89] Conservators at the Field Museum have made notable contributions toconservation science with methods ofpreservation of artifacts including the use ofpheromone trapping for control ofwebbing clothes moths.[90]
The Field Museum was an early adopter of positive-pressure based approaches to control of environment in display cases,[91] using control modules for humidity control in several galleries where room-level humidification was not practical.[92][93] The museum has also adopted a low-energy approach to maintain low humidity to prevent corrosion in archaeological metals using ultra-well-sealed barrier film micro-environments.[94] Other notable contributions include methods for dyeing Japanese papers to color match restorations inorganicsubstrates,[95] the removal of display mounts from historic objects,[96] testing of collections for residualheavy metalpesticides,[97][98] presence of earlyplastics in collections,[99] the effect ofsulfurous products in display cases,[100] and the use oflight tubes in display cases.[101]
Concordant with research developments, new collection types, such asfrozen tissue collections, requiring new collecting and preservation techniques are added to the existing holdings.[102][103]
Despite the passage of theNative American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in 1990, the Field Museum is estimated to hold more than 1000 Native American remains that have not been repatriated.[104]
Collection management requires meticulousrecord keeping. Handwrittenledgers captured specimen and artifact data in the past. Field Museum was an early adopter ofcomputerization of collection data beginning in the late 1970s.[14][105] Field Museum contributes its digitized collection data to a variety of online groups and platforms, such as:HerpNet,VertNet andAntweb,[106]Global Biodiversity Information Facility (also known as GBif),[107] and others. All Field Museum collection databases are unified and currently maintained inKE EMu software system. The research value ofdigitized specimen data andgeoreferencedlocality data is widely acknowledged,[108] enabling analyses of distribution shifts due to climate changes, land use changes and others.[109]
During the World's Columbian Exposition, all acquired specimens and objects were on display;[75] the purpose of the World's Fair was exhibition of these materials. For example, just after opening of the Columbian Museum of Chicago, themollusk collection occupied one entire exhibit hall, displaying 3,000 species of mollusks on about 1,260 square feet (117 m2). By 1910, 20,000 shell specimens were on display, with an additional 15,000 "in storage".[110]
Only a small fraction of the specimens and artifacts are publicly displayed. The vast majority of specimens and artifacts are used by a wide range of people in the museum and around the world. Field Museum curatorial faculty and their graduate students and postdoctoral trainees use the collections in their research and in training e.g., in formal high school and undergraduate training programs. Researchers from all over the world can search online for particular specimens and request to borrow them, which are shipped routinely under defined and published loan policies, to ensure that the specimens remain in good condition.[111] For example, in 2012, Field Museum's Zoology collection processed 419 specimen loans, shipping over 42,000 specimens to researchers, per its Annual Report.[112]
The collection specimens are an important cornerstone of research infrastructure in that each specimen can be re-examined and with the advancement of analytic techniques, new data can be gleaned from specimens that may have been collected more than 150 years ago.[113]
The library at the Field Museum was organized in 1893 for the museum's scientific staff, visiting researchers, students, and members of the general public as a resource for research, exhibition development and educational programs. The 275,000 volumes of the Main Research Collections concentrate on biological systematics, environmental and evolutionary biology, anthropology, botany, geology, archaeology, museology and related subjects.[114] The Field Museum Library includes the following collections:
This private collection ofEdward E. Ayer, the first president of the museum, contains virtually all the important works in the history ofornithology and is especially rich in color-illustrated works.[115]
The working collection of Dr.Berthold Laufer, America's firstsinologist and Curator of Anthropology until his death in 1934, consists of about 7,000 volumes inChinese,Japanese,Tibetan, and numerous Western languages on anthropology,archaeology, religion, science, and travel.[116]
The photo archives contain over 250,000 images in the areas of anthropology, botany, geology and zoology and documents the history and architecture of the museum, its exhibitions, staff and scientific expeditions. In 2008 two collections from the Photo Archives became available via theIllinois Digital Archives (IDA): The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893[117] and Urban Landscapes of Illinois.[118] In April 2009, the Photo Archives became part ofFlickr Commons.[119]
The Karl P. Schmidt Memorial Herpetological Library, named forKarl Patterson Schmidt is a research library containing over 2,000 herpetological books and an extensive reprint collection.[120]
The Field Museum's Double Elephant folio of Audubon'sThe Birds of America is one of only two known copies that were arranged in taxonomic order. Additionally, it contains all 13 composite plates. The Field's copy belonged to Audubon's family physician Dr. Benjamin Phillips.[121]
The Field Museum offers opportunities for informal and more structured public learning. Exhibitions remain the primary means of informal education, but throughout its history the Museum has supplemented this approach with innovative educational programs. The Harris Loan Program, for example, begun in 1912, reaches out to children in Chicago area schools, offering artifacts, specimens, audiovisual materials, and activity kits.[122] The Department of Education, begun in 1922, offers classes, lectures, field trips, museum overnights and special events for families, adults and children.[123] The Field has adopted production of theYouTube channelThe Brain Scoop, hiring its hostEmily Graslie full-time as 'Chief Curiosity Correspondent'.[124]
The Museum's curatorial and scientific staff in the departments of Anthropology,[125] Botany,[126] Geology,[127] and Zoology[128] conducts basic research in systematic biology and anthropology, besides its responsibility for collections management, and educational programs. It has long maintained close links, including joint teaching, students, seminars, with the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago.[129] Professional symposia and lectures, like the annual A. Watson Armour III Spring Symposium, present scientific results to the international scientific community and the public at large.[citation needed]
The museum used to publish fourpeer-reviewedmonograph series issued under the collective titleFieldiana, devoted toanthropology,botany,geology andzoology.[130]
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