Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England London Alfred Russel Wallace Statue

Alfred Russel Wallace Statue

A tribute to an explorer and naturalist often overlooked by history.

London, England

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Alfred Russell Wallace Statue   Matt Brown
Close-up of Wallace’s Orangutan specimen   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
The rather “Don Quixote” looking statue of Wallace.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Portrait painting of Alfred Russell Wallace at the museum.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Alfred Russel Wallace in later life   London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company (active 1855-1922)
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
Alfred Russell Wallace Statue  
A rather sinister Orangutan specimen collected by Wallace, at the museum.  
Butterfly specimens collected by Wallace at the museum.  
More butterflies collected by Alfred Russell Wallace.  
A surviving notebook of Wallace.  
Alfred Russell Wallace Statue   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

A slightly larger than life-size bronze statue depicting an intrepid explorer and naturalist can be found in a little visited corner of the Natural History Museum, London. Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)  is best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution by natural selection and jointly publishing the idea with Charles Darwin in 1858, fifteen months before Darwin published Origin of Species. Although Wallace is often forgotten in the annals of science history, he played a major role in elaborating and defending the theory during his long and productive life.

The statue depicts the moment in 1859, when Wallace saw the magnificent male of the golden birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera croesus) for the first time in the rainforest of Bacan Island, Indonesia. He is looking upwards and by following his gaze the viewer will see a bronze model of the butterfly some distance away on the facing wall. This is perhaps the most spectacular of all the hundreds of butterfly species Wallace discovered during his famous 8-year expedition to the 'Malay Archipelago' (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and East Timor) and his description of the capture of the first male has become legendary:

"The beauty and brilliancy of this insect are indescribable, and none but a naturalist can understand the intense excitement I experienced when I at length captured it. On taking it out of my net and opening the glorious wings, my heart began to beat violently, the blood rushed to my head, and I felt much more like fainting than I have done when in apprehension of immediate death. I had a headache the rest of the day, so great was the excitement produced by what will appear to most people a very inadequate cause." (from Wallace's 1869 book The Malay Archipelago).

The statue was sculpted by Anthony Smith, who produced an acclaimed statue of Charles Darwin as a student for Cambridge University in 2009. Research into Wallace's apparel and collecting equipment was done by Wallace scholar George Beccaloni, who also led the fundraising campaign. The statue was donated to the museum by the A. R. Wallace Memorial Fund, where it was unveiled by Sir David Attenborough on the 7 November 2013 - the 100th anniversary of Wallace's death. It was originally installed outside the Darwin Centre 2 building (which houses many tens of thousands of Wallace's insect specimens) near the wildlife garden, but has since been moved to the end of the second floor corridor above the museum's Hintze Hall where few visitors to the museum see it.

Along with the statue, several historic artifacts associated with Wallace may be seen in the museum. Butterfly specimens collected by him during his expeditions to the Amazon and the Malay Archipelago are on display in the Treasures Gallery. Additionally, a taxidermy specimen of an orangutan, collected by him in Sarawak, Borneo, can be seen in the cabinet of curiosity on the first floor above the Hintze Hall.

Related Tags

Statues

Know Before You Go

The Natural History Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. and entrance is free, except to special exhibitions.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

George Beccaloni, SEANETTA, rbenn250, jonathancarey...

  • George Beccaloni
  • SEANETTA
  • rbenn250
  • jonathancarey
  • Snowdrop68

Published

July 28, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://wallacefund.info/bronze-statue-wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace Statue
8 Cromwell Rd
London, England, SW7 4DW
United Kingdom
51.496715, -0.176367
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Chi-Chi the Giant Panda

London, England

miles away

Tower of London Barbary Lion Skulls

London, England

miles away

Mary Anning's Plesiosaur

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 109

Nearby Places

Chi-Chi the Giant Panda

London, England

miles away

Tower of London Barbary Lion Skulls

London, England

miles away

Mary Anning's Plesiosaur

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 109

Related Places

  • York, England

    Tobacconist Napoleon Statue

    A rare tobacconist Napoleon statue stands inside York’s medieval guildhall.

  • This gigantic statue once marked a radio station’s headquarters.

    Topeka, Kansas

    Huntoon Park Wren

    This bird statue was created to mark the site of a radio transmitter.

  • Vilnius, Lithuania

    Jesus Backpacker

    A unique, playful portrayal of Jesus as a backpacking traveler.

  • Honningsvåg Bamse Statue

    Nordkapp, Norway

    Honningsvåg Bamse Statue

    This beloved wartime mascot has been honored with not just one, but two statues.

  • Chiayi City, Taiwan

    Manneken Pis of Taiwan

    A replica of Brussels’ Manneken Pis has stood in Taiwan since 1934.

  • Punk monument of Visací zámek.

    Prague, Czechia

    Punk Monument

    This pink tractor statue pays tribute to a legendary underground punk band.

  • Taipei, Taiwan

    Chiang Statues in Beitou

    An otherwise typical Beitou alley is home to statues of Chiang Kai-shek and his son.

  • Næstved, Denmark

    Denmark’s Smallest Equestrian Statue

    Honoring a local founder, this tiny tribute once vanished under mysterious circumstances.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.