This 18th-century shell collection, saved from a skip, tells a story of empire, explorers and women’s equality

By Freya Gowrley, Lecturer in History of Art and Liberal Arts, University of Bristol

In the 1980s, a shell collection that included specimens from Captain Cook’s final voyage was accidentally thrown into a skip and believed lost forever. But much to the joy of scientists, last week it was rediscovered safe and sound and donated to English Heritage.

Her name might not have made the headlines, but the woman who originally collected the shells, Bridget Atkinson (1732-1814), made a significant contribution to natural history in the 18th century.…

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