Researching 19th-century collection and trade in Thylacines

Kathryn Medlock researching the 19th century records at the Australian Museum Archives.

Recently the carefully preserved administrative records of the Australian Museum revealed new information to Kathryn Medlock, Senior Curator Vertebrate Zoology at the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery. Kathryn (a PhD candidate at the Australian National University) spent a week researching in the Australian Museum Archives. Kathryn found valuable information amongst the museum’s 19th century correspondence, exchange schedules, photographs and published material. She is examining the collection and trade of the infamous thylacine (often referred to as the “Tasmanian tiger”). Whilst Museums continue to collect natural history specimens they no longer “trade” specimens to build their collections. Kathryn’s research will help us understand the development of this change in Museum science.