| AdminHistory | The State Darwin Museum [formerly known as the Museum Darwinianum, Moscow] was established in 1907 by Professor Alexander Eric Kohts [also known as Coates], from his own collection of biological specimens. Kohts was a museum researcher, who read the lectures on the theory of evolution at the Moscow Higher Female Courses at the University of Moscow. When it was opened, it was the first museum devoted only to the theory of evolution. In 1911 Alexander Kohts married Dr Nadezhda Ladygina, the animal behaviourist, and they were co-directors of the museum until 1964. Plans for a new building for the museum were begun in the 1960s but not complete until the 1990s. The museum is still in existence today. |
| Description | Set of 62 photographs of exhibits in the Museum Darwinianum, Moscow, illustrating the life, work and ideas of Charles Darwin and his disciples presented to the Linnean Society. Includes photographs of:
- f. 5: sculptor, W. Watagin, and artist, Victor Eustafiev, at work
- f. 10: N. Kohts and M. Esutshevsky [posing] for Watagin
- f. 44: Indian elephant mounted by the taxidermist Philipp Feduloff
- f. 45: attempt at reconstruction of some extinct animals by Dr Konstantin Fleroff
- f. 47: sculptor Basil Watagin at work (1918-1948)
- f. 48: [chimpanzee] 'Jony' mounted by the taxidermist Ph. Feduloff
- ff. 51-52: Mrs Nadjeshda (Esperantia) Kohts [also known as N.N. Kohts] with her chimpanzee 'Jony' [also known as Joni] doing a study of the emotional life and intellectual capabilities of the chimpanzee (1913, 1915)
- f. 53: study by N.N. Kohts of the intellectual capabilities of Macacus Rhesus monkey (1919-1922)
- f. 54: studies by N.N. Kohts of the capabilities of parrots in the discrimination of colours (1920-1921)
- f. 55: studies by Dr N.N. Kohts of the capabilities of wolves and dogs (ten specimens of the same litter) to discriminate forms and colours (1922, 1924)
- f. 56: studies of the capability of the chimpanzee for tool making by Dr N.N. Kohts (1947-1952) including a picture of a child, thought to be Koht's child, Roody [also spelt Rudy]
- f. 58: the Darwin Museum in war time [World War 2, 1939-1945] showing Prof. A Kohts giving a lecture; Dr N. N. Kohts and her son Roody [also spelt Rudy] reporting on her scientific work to the wounded
- f. 60: workers of the fur industry making a visit to the museum and Kohts examining rare specimens for the museum in the store house of the fure [fur] storage centre
- f. 61: foreign scientists visiting the Darwin Museum, Moscow, including Dr Julian S. Huxley (1939), Prof. William Bateson (1925), Prof. Wilhelm Sterm and Mrs Clara Stern, Prof. Lipmann (Leipzig), Prof. Rubin (Copenhagen), Dr Edwards (British Museum), Dr Eric Ashby (Sydney). Also shows a photo of B. Watagin.
f. 62: Alexander Kohts as a child and young man as well as his involvement with the Darwin Musuem, and his wife, Dr N. Kohts.
Written inside presentation folder: 'In commemoration of the Centenary of the "Origin of Species" (1859-1959). To the Linnean Society of London with the deepest respect from the Founder (1905) and Director of the Museum Darwinianum of Moscow. Prof. Dr Alexander Eric Kohts/Coates. Moscow 48'. |