'BOTH USEFUL AND ORNAMENTAL': John Walker's keepership of Edinburgh University's Natural History Museum, 1779 1803

Abstract

The Revd Dr John Walker was holder of the Regius Chair of Natural History and Keeper of the Museum of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh from 1779 until his death in 1803. By the time of his appointment earlier natural history collections had been allowed to deteriorate. One of Walker's principal activities as professor was to develop the University's museum as ‘both useful and ornamental’, as a major cultural resource and as a means to the economic utility of natural productions. This he did through purchase of natural history collections, through personal field-work and by drawing upon a world-wide network of friends, academic colleagues, and former students. Little attention has been paid to Walker's development of collections for the museum as both a university resource and a nationally-useful display of natural knowledge. This paper considers Walker's management of the natural history museum as repository and didactic display. Consideration is principally given to the cultural and socio-scientific provenance of the museum collections and to the claims made by Walker for the usefulness of the museum. Some attention is paid to the state of natural history collections in Scottish museums before Walker. A final section briefly considers the state of Walker's museum and collection after 1803.