Proposal to the Quekett Microscopical Club The Arthur Earland - PDF document

Proposal to the Quekett Microscopical Club The Arthur Earland Collection of Foram inifera Slides Sum m ary This proposal is for the Quekett Microscopical Club to fund the purchase and acquisition by the Natural History Museum, London, of an historically and scientifically important collection of microscope slides of foraminifera, the Arthur Earland Collection, dating approximately from the period 1900 – 1920. Context of the Collection Arthur Earland (1866 – 1958) was an amateur microscopist and member of the Quekett Microscopical Club who specialised in the foraminifera. His work was recognised scientifically at the time and he published several research papers on foraminifera. He was a great correspondent and collaborator with museum scientists including Edward Heron-Allen FRS, another gifted amateur; together they worked on material from the Challenger and Terra Nova expeditions. Heron-Allen’s foram collections (approximately 740 slides) and associated library were bequeathed to the Natural History Museum and considered amongst the most important of micropalaeontology collections. Whilst some of Earland’s slides (405 slides) were received into the museum of the University of Dundee during his lifetime, Earland’s main collection of slides and notebooks was passed into private ownership upon his death. This collection is now being offered for sale and the Natural History Museum has expressed their desire to obtain the collection, to be curated alongside the Heron-Allen collection; however the Museum currently does not have funds available for this acquisition. Description of the Collection The collection consists of two slide cabinets, containing approximately 2,600 slides, all of which appear to be in excellent condition. The majority of the slides are Earland’s own mounts and include both taxonomically important specimens and exquisite display mounts made as exchanges or gifts for friends (these have been the subject of one of the Museum’s blogs in 2012 when the owner of the slides allowed a detailed

examination by the Museum: (http: / / www.nhm.ac.uk/ natureplus/ blogs/ micropalaeo/ 2012/ 12/ 24/ 100th -anniversary-of-the-microfossil-christmas-card). The cabinets also include mounts of foraminifera slides mounted by other contemporaneous workers and commercial sellers, as well as Earland’s original notebooks. Proposal The committee is kindly asked to consider funding the purchase of the collection from the current owner as part of its charitable activities and for the collection to then be donated to the Natural History Museum. The Curator of Micropalaeontology would receive the collection, ensure its conservation and make the collection available for study by research scientists. The Curator would be favourable to providing a lecture to the Club on the collection and to a descriptive paper for the Club’s Journal. Costs The collection has been independently valued by a specialist auctioneer at £30,000 to £35,000. However the owner is willing to accept £20,000 on the basis that the collection will be joining the Heron-Allen collection and be conserved at the Natural History Museum. She would request payment of four instalments of £5,000 each, at six month intervals over a two year period, but would make the slides available to the Museum upon the first payment. Written By: Philip M. Greaves 4 th April 2018 Date:

I m ages of the Collection