Mapping of Knowledge in the Natural History Museum: Richard Owen's Naturalistic Ideas and Spatial Layouts of the Natural History Museum in London

Abstract

A museum is a public place where objects of significance are arranged and displayed for visitors. The arrangement of objects in a museum therefore serves as a crucial interface between the objects and visitors. But what are the principles or theories behind the arrangement of objects and how are they supported by the spatial layout and design? This study uses the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London as a case to investigate how the arrangement of objects and the spatial layout of displays were structured and designed with a specific kind of knowledge about nature that had both social implications and effects for the creator of this museum: Richard Owen. This study analyzes various plans of the NHM and argues that the effects of the designed interfaces between visitors and objects concern a classification of people and an alternative view of the theory of evolution. It is further argued in this study that the spatial layout of the NHM was structured following Owen's naturalistic theory and that this theory was related to the emergence of a particular 'subject position' in 19th century scientific circles.