Reuben Haines III (1786-1831), gentlemen-scientist whose many interests ranged from natural history to agriculture and from geography to art. As Corresponding Secretary of The Academy of Natural Sciences from 1814-1831, Haines was at the center of many of the most important scientific investigations taking place in America in the first half of the nineteenth century.

An active and influential “Friend” (Quaker), Haines had strong beliefs in the utility of science and the importance of education. To help himself better understand the natural world and man’s place in it, he assembled a private “cabinet of curiosities” over a period of many years.

Remarkably, most of its contents (and parts of the cabinet itself) survive to this day. Beautiful shells, rare minerals, colorful insects and medicinal plants collected almost two centuries ago are just some of the treasures that are featured in an exhibition that examines the life of Reuben Haines and explores the importance of scientific study in the early decades of the new Republic.

February 10 - May 26, 2006
Exhibition of the Cabinet of Curiosities
at the Ewell Sale Stewart library
The Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103