What is a finding aid?

A guide to accessing information in the Museums Victoria Archives. 

Finding aids describe an archival collection, including a listing or index of holdings. They include a brief history, to help navigate the types of information and context of the archival collection and identify material relevant to the researcher.

Introduction to Ornithology Department

The National Museum of Victoria (predecessor of Museums Victoria) was founded in 1854, and in the same year bird collections were established. An initial intention for the collection was to obtain mounted specimens for a curious public. The scientific value was apparently of secondary importance. This focus did not last long as it was the ambition of the museum to obtain representative examples of the state's fauna.

To achieve this outcome, Johann Wilhelm Theodor Ludwig von Blandowski (known as William Blandowski) was employed to raise an expedition to gather material from Victoria in 1854. The expedition took place, and a team of scientists began work on the collection. Blandowski's initial collections from close to Melbourne do not appear to have survived. However, a large collection of material from the trip to the lower Murray and environs has survived.

The museum went on to acquire a large volume of bird material purchased from John Gould (between 1859 and 1865) and his co-workers (including Alfred Wallace) and other sources. Over the following years until 1920 several collections of Australian material were added, including valuable material from the Horn expedition and other expeditions led by Sir Baldwin Spencer.

Until the end of the 20th century materials gained by the section were primarily of Victorian origin. These included a great number of valuable specimens from the Arthur Rylah Institute. Other significant material came from H.L. White (1917 and 1927), and many smaller collections of eggs were acquired through private donation.

During the 19th century initial work was carried out by Frederick McCoy, who was followed by Baldwin Spencer. James A. Kershaw was later appointed 'Curator of the Zoological Collections'. George Mack was then appointed the museum's first curator for Ornithology. Subsequent curators of Ornithology included W.B. Hitchcock (1949-54), A.R. McEvey (1955-85) and Les Christidis (1987-96).

Reference: Ornithology Collection Development Plan 2013-2018, author NW Longmore

Summary of Ornithology Department (1851-2003) Finding Aid

Extent:

16 boxes
188 files
18 volumes
1 card catalogue
12 large format items<

Repository

Museums Victoria Archives, Melbourne Museum

Provenance

Records created by National Museum of Victoria staff and honorary associates (1851 - 1983) and Museums Victoria staff (1983 - 2003). National Museum of Victoria is a predecessor of Museums Victoria.

Holdings

To view list of holdings, see 'Associated Downloads' section.

Major Holdings

  • Correspondence (note significant correspondence between John Gould and Frederick McCoy over 20 years) and Departmental Files
  • Accession registers, collection card catalogue, collection lists, specimen data books, donations files, and collector correspondence
  • Conservation files
  • Exhibition records
  • Identifications
  • Loans registers
  • Ornithologists diaries, notebooks, journals, field books including HL White, Warren Hitchcock, Alan McEvey, FG Elford, AJ Campbell, AG Campbell, A Graham Brown, FL Berney, CN Austin, C Hook, Captain John J Heard, JLG Krefft, Roy Cooper (this is not a complete list, see full list of holdings)
  • Photographs and albums
  • Illustrations and artworks
  • Media clippings, scrapbooks and audiovisual recordings
  • Publications and manuscripts
  • Floorplans

Access

Access to the Museums Victoria Archives is by appointment an Ask Us access enquiry.

Please provide as much information about your enquiry as possible. Such as:

  • names (e.g., past or current staff, collector, research associate, honorary associate)
  • dates (including year and month, if available)
  • place names
  • information about the discipline or collecting area
  • purpose of enquiry

This information will assist the Ask Us team and Archivist to answer the enquiry.

More Information