Linnean Society of London

The Linnean Society of London is the world's biggest society for the study and discussion of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a Zoological Journal, as well as Botanical and Biological Journals. It also prints The Linnean, a review of the history of the society and of taxonomy.

The Linnean Society was started in 1788. It was named after the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus. The Society is based at Burlington House in Piccadilly, London. Members can be a Student member, an Associate member or a full Fellow. To become a member, a person needs to be nominated by two or more Fellows, and succeed in an election. Fellows of the society can use the letters FLS after their names to show their membership of the Society (for example, John Smith FLS).

Medals and prizes

The Linnean Society of London wants to promote the study of all areas of the biological sciences. They especially want to promote the study of evolution, taxonomy, biodiversity and sustainability. The Society awards medals and grants to help with this.

The following medals and prizes are awarded by the Linnean Society:

The Linnean Medal was started in 1888. It was awarded (until 1958) to a botanist one year and to a zoologist the next year. Since 1958 it has been awarded to one of each in the same year.
The H. H. Bloomer Award was started in 1963. The money comes from a legacy from the amateur naturalist Harry Howard Bloomer. It is awarded to an amateur naturalist who has made an important contribution to biology.
The Bicentenary Award was started in 1978, on the 200th anniversary of the death of Linnaeus. It is given to someone who has done important work and who is under the age of 40 years.
The Jill Smythies Award was started in 1986. It is awarded for botanical illustrations.
The Irene Manton Prize was started in 1990. It is awarded for the best dissertation in botany during an academic year.
The Darwin-Wallace Medal is awarded for very important advances in evolutionary biology.

Collections

Linnaeus' botanical and zoological collections were bought in 1783 by Sir James Edward Smith, the first President of the society. They are held in London by the Society. The collections include 14,000 plants, 158 fish, 1,564 shells, 3,198 insects, 1,600 books and 3,000 letters and documents. If you want to see them, you need to make an appointment.

James Smith's own plant collection is also kept by the Society. It has been put into a database by the Smith Herbarium Project at the National Museums Liverpool. 6,000 plants have been cleaned and repaired.

Linnean Societies worldwide

Australia

Linnean Society of New South Wales

Canada

Société linnéenne du Québec

France

La Société Linnéenne de la Seine maritime
Société linnéenne de Lyon
Société linnéenne de Provence
Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux
Société Linnéenne de Normandie

Sweden

The Swedish Linnaeus Society

United Kingdom

The Linnean Society of London

United States

The Linnean Society of Lake Superior, Inc.
The Linnaean Society of New York

Linnean Society Of London Media

Burlington House: the Linnean Society occupies the range to the left of, and above, the entrance arch.
The society's premises in Burlington House seen from within the courtyard.
The first admission of women as fellows of the society in 1905, Emma Louisa Turner is on the far left, Lilian J. Veley is shown signing the membership book, whilst Lady Crisp receives the 'hand of Fellowship' from the president, William Abbott Herdman, behind Lilian J. Veley and standing is Constance Sladen – from a painting by James Sant (1820–1916)
Both sides of Darwin-Wallace medal awarded to Wallace at 1908 Linnean society meeting celebrating 50th anniversary of reading of Darwin and Wallace's papers on natural selection
The library of the Linnean Society, Burlington House
A display of Alfred Russel Wallace notebooks in the Linnean Society library
Muscicapa malachura (the Southern emu-wren), a new species from New South Wales, by Thomas Davies, 1798, Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, Volume 4, facing page 242

Other websites

Works related to Transactions of the Linnean Society of London at the English Wikisource

Media related to Linnean Society of London at Wikimedia Commons