#gesnerday

[smithsonianlibrariesarchives]

Happy Gesner Day!

The creator of the foundational texts of zoology was born on this date, March 26, in 1516.

Since these encyclopedic works that compiled descriptions of all known animals included a little cryptozoology, too, we thought it might be ok to demonstrate our excitement with a unicorn vomiting a rainbow. Gesner tried to distinguish fact from fiction through direct observation—an important step in establishing science as a discipline. But there are still plenty of entries for mythical beasts.  

Now that we have your attention, go check out Icones animalium quadrupedum uiuiparorum et ouiparorum (1560) in our digital library, and see many more titles in the @biodivlibrary. 

There should be plenty of posts with #GesnerDay on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, too, so please search #GesnerDay on your platform of choice and join in on the fun!

[biodivlibrary]

#GesnerDay!

Happy Birthday, Conrad Gesner! Today is #GesnerDay, which marks the 501st anniversary of Conrad Gesner's birth. Considered the founder of modern zoology, Gesner completed his five-volume work, Historia Animalium, cataloging the natural history of animals known during the Renaissance. Carol Linnaeus's groundbreaking work in taxonomy would not come until 200 years later, which makes Gesner's work incredibly important in the study of biodiversity and the history of zoology. 

On our Instagram, we'll be sharing illustrations from Gesner's Icones Animalium Quadrupedum Viviparorum et Oviparorum (1560), which is a condensed version of the Historia Animalium. From the common land snails to the fish of the deep sea, and even the fantastical, such as dragons, Gesner included them all. Icones Animalium was contributed for digitization by @smithsonianlibraries. 

[smithsonianlibrariesarchives]

While Conrad Gesner made an effort to be accurate, his depictions sometimes veered from the accurate. Clearly.

[smithsonianlibrariesarchives]

Happy Caturday!

This kitteh is a bit old—nearly 500 years old. It is from Conrad Gesner’s Historia Animalium. (1560)

Don’t know who Conrad Gesner is? Find out tomorrow by searching #GesnerDay as we celebrate his 501st birthday tomorrow, March 26.

[smithsonianlibrariesarchives]

Conrad Gesner’s elephant makes us happy, even if it looks a bit wonky.

What’s your favorite Gesner woodprint? 

[smithsonianlibrariesarchives]

Act quick like a squirrel and you can tune in with @BioDivLibrary on their Facebook Page to see Conrad Gesner books from our Cullman Library collection! He was basically zoology’s dad. Check it out and see charming woodblock prints from the 16th century!

The event is at 1:30pm today, March 24th 2017 (Eastern time)

[biodivlibrary]

#GesnerDay!

Mark your calendars for March 24 at 1:30PM ET for a Facebook Live tour of Conrad Gesner’s books in @smithsonianlibraries! March 26 marks the 501st birthday of Conrad Gesner (March 26, 1516 - December 13, 1565), a Swiss naturalist and physician who is considered to be one of the founders of modern day zoology. His classic work Histora Animalium is a catalog of Renaissance zoology, and you can view this work in BHL with thanks to Smithsonian Libraries for digitizing. Be sure to join us on our Facebook page!