Charles Valentine Riley pioneered the field of entomology in the United States. The Charles Valentine Riley Collection, part of the National Agricultural Library's (NAL) Special Collections, illustrates Riley's vision to enhance the success of agriculture through new scientific knowledge. The collection of papers and significant artifacts, also tells the story of Riley's love of nature, his keen ability to observe relationships in nature, and his devotion to recording his observations through drawing and writing. The collection complements a number of other significant manuscripts and rare books in Special Collections such as the USDA History Collection, manuscripts of Townend Glover and William Saunders, and early publications by Riley and others which provide historians and researchers a broad picture of the field of entomology in the 1800s. ... [Information of the supplier, modified]
The Naturhistorische Museum - Natural History Museum - was set up again after the devastating fire of 1865 by the Admont Benedictine Father Gabriel Strobl in the years 1866 to 1910. In his scientific activity Father Gabriel Strobl built up a huge insect collection with roughly 252,000 specimens, with the collection of about 80,000 flies being one of the three most important in Europe. Through his own collecting, exchange, buying and in the form of gifts Father Gabriel Strobl acquired over 44 years the collection that can be admired in the partly newly planned Natural History Museum. A glass-case ribbon stretches for about 24 metres and shows in texts, pictures and exhibits the historical development of the Natural History Museum. The first side room is dedicated to Father Gabriel Strobl’s life work. His scientific and artistic work is described in a large table glass-case, while an exhibition of various insect groups can be seen on the walls. The second side room presents all 243 examples of the wax fruits made by Father Constantin Keller (1778-1864) in an impressive installation. ... [Information of the supplier, translated]
