ABSTRACT
Collections of biology have been assembled and displayed in private homes and institutions, and public galleries and museums, for many centuries. The earliest known collections of biological material can be traced to the Graeco-Roman Period (up to 400 AD) when the 'museum' consisted of an 'assemblage of natural or artificial objects, usually for the purpose of study but occasionally for mere prestige'. This chapter examines the history of biological collection display with iconic displays of biology from the last twenty years. The Linnaean period was named after the 'father of modern taxonomy', Carl Linnaeus. The interpretation and display of biology remained largely unchanged until after the Second World War, when, influenced by ideas from the United States, museum professionals began to think about what new experiences they could offer their audiences. Over the last three decades, redisplays of museum collections in Britain have been piecemeal, often carried out with little or no audience research to underpin redisplay decision-making.
