Sketching Splendor, an exhibition at the American Philosophical Society Museum, explores the work of William Bartram, Titian Ramsay Peale, and John James Audubon, three American naturalists who sought to illuminate nature’s complexity. Yet even as naturalists experimented with new scientific ideas and innovations, the history of natural history in the United States was complex, allied to forces of imperialism and enslavement. Moreover, while we remember the names of elite scientists like Bartram, Peale, and Audubon, there were many Native Americans, people of African descent both enslaved and free, and women whose names are less known, and who also contributed to early American science. In this talk the exhibition’s curator, Dr. Anna Majeski, will focus on some of their stories as highlighted in Sketching Splendor.

This event will be held at National Mechanics, located at 22 S 3rd St Philadelphia, PA. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are not required for this event.

About the Speaker:

Anna Majeski, Ph.D., is Exhibitions Researcher & Content Creator at the American Philosophical Society Library & Museum. She received her doctorate at the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, where she completed a dissertation on early Renaissance astrological imagery. At the American Philosophical Society, her work has focused on intersections between art and science in the arena of American natural history. She is currently researching a new exhibition on Philadelphia during the period of the Revolutionary War.