1859 was the year Darwin’s Origin of Species was published, marking a turning point that gave rise to a wave of reform, revolutionising not only natural history but also its presentation in museums.

Darwin, Wallace and Haeckel describe how the theory of natural selection was developed and how it was disseminated and proven. The voyage of the brig Beagle and the specimens collected and described by Darwin and Wallace illustrate the key stages of this process, accompanied by Haeckel‘s splendid zoological illustrations.