How can something invisible be investigated? The challenge of understanding the unknown has driven scientific inquiry for centuries and continues to inspire researchers today.
Drawing on material from the Allen Forbes Collection, this exhibition traces the scientific process of observing, measuring, and describing that transformed whales from mythical monsters into recognized mammals. Featuring prints from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, Monsters of the Deep explores how European knowledge of sea creatures evolved through new information gathered by sailors, scholars, and beachcombers, reshaping human understanding of the natural world.