Natural History

The Philadelphia Print Shop in Chestnut Hill is celebrating nature. The images of flowers, birds, insects, quadrupeds and shells in its current exhibition, called "Celebrating Nature," are accompanied by two catalogues of natural-history prints and books: Natural History to 1800 and 19th Century Natural History, compiled by the Print Shop. Both describe the color-plate books from which the prints were taken, and tell about the artists who created these herbals and illustrations of plants in the royal botanic gardens of Europe and about the pioneer naturalists who went out in the wild to draw birds and animals.

A new exhibit at the Chester County Historical Society takes a rare look at the early Chester County residents who were caught up in the natural-history studies of their day. In some cases, the life stories found in "Animal, Vegetable and Mineral: The World of Chester County Naturalists" show an intense pursuit. The amateur naturalists included men such as Walter Jefferis (1820-1906), a West Chester bank cashier who built a separate house to contain his mineral collection.

It was a Thursday afternoon at the National Museum of Natural History, and the young man with the thinning hair and the steel-rim glasses seemed to fit right in. He had the quiet, pensive look of a curator, and he was listening attentively as Vicki Funk, the Smithsonian Institution's curator of botany, told him about the time her helicopter went down in the mountains of Peru. "We had three days of food, and we were stranded for 10 days," said Funk, "so we had to eat birds.

Center City book dealer Hayes Hibberd got suspicious when two strangers popped into his shop one Sunday last December and offered to sell him a rare two-volume natural-history book published in the 18th century. The two men had the smell of liquor on their breaths. They were carrying the book, worth $250,000, in a plastic trash bag. And they were willing to sell it for half its value, Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Weber said yesterday. When the men returned the next day to consummate the deal, Hibberd was waiting with two undercover cops he had called.

The nice thing about a program of short works is that it's like eating tapas - if one little plate isn't to your taste, there's always another one. Natural History is a quartet of little plays by Jennifer Camp linked by theme (love) and locale (the American Museum of Natural History in New York). They provide a charming and entertaining evening (about 90 minutes) in the Walnut Independence Studio's Philadelphia premiere. Three accomplished actors (Evan Jonigkeit, Wendy Scharfman and Russ Widdal)

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is the nation's oldest natural history museum, and this month marks its 200th anniversary. On March 21, 1812, John Speakman, Jacob Gilliams, and others met to form an "academy" for the study of natural history, and "for the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences, and the advancement of useful learning. " Its original headquarters was 121 N. Second St. About three years later, the academy moved to larger quarters on Arch Street, between Front Street and Second.

In 1865, a 44-year-old Chester County woman named Graceanna Lewis sought work through an advertising circular that she sent to neighbors and friends. While it was not unusual for an educated single Quaker woman such as Lewis to seek employment, Lewis was not looking for the customary seamstress or millinery job. The four "parlour lessons" that Lewis promised to give in her West Vincent home for $2 were in ornithology, or the study of birds. Lewis, who also ran an apple orchard on her farm with her two older sisters, could claim only a modest education in the subject.

George F. Sandstr?m, 81, formerly of Cochranville, an artist and illustrator of natural history books, died of cancer June 1 at Herman Memorial Hospital in Houston. He had moved from Chester County to Sugarland, Texas, three years ago. Mr. Sandstr?m illustrated 40 books, including Seashells of the World and Gems and Semiprecious Stones for Golden Press; Philippine Birds, South Pacific Birds and Woodpeckers of the World, published by the Delaware Museum of Natural History; and two books on rocks and minerals by Charles Sorrell.

Here's a factoid, courtesy of the Internet Movie Database: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian marks the second time that Napoleon Bonaparte and Abraham Lincoln have appeared in the same film. The first? Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Which, by the way, is a vastly more meaningful moviegoing experience than this knee-jerk sequel to the surprise 2006 Ben Stiller smash. A super-size rehash of the original - transplanted from New York's Museum of Natural History to the sprawling mall of museums run by the Smithsonian in Washington - this family-friendly vehicle once again stars Stiller as the museum guard who communes with objects and artifacts on display after the doors close for the day. Except this time, as Night at the Museum - Part Duh begins, Stiller's Larry Daley is no longer employed as a guard.

D. James Baker, the retiring administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has been named the new president of the Academy of Natural Sciences. Baker will take office May 20 and will be charged with raising the national and international profile of the venerable Philadelphia institution. Baker, 65, will replace Seymour S. Preston 3d, who has been serving as interim president since the departure of president Paul Hanle in April 2000. Baker, an oceanographer who has sailed the world's seas, invented a method of measuring ocean currents, and overseen the launching of four ocean-observing satellites, said he was attracted to the academy because of its impressive 190-year history and its mission to bring natural history and environmental issues to the public.

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is the nation's oldest natural history museum, and this month marks its 200th anniversary. On March 21, 1812, John Speakman, Jacob Gilliams, and others met to form an "academy" for the study of natural history, and "for the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences, and the advancement of useful learning. " Its original headquarters was 121 N. Second St. About three years later, the academy moved to larger quarters on Arch Street, between Front Street and Second.

Beyond the iconic staircase of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or the marble columns of the Franklin Institute, museumgoers can find anything from dentists' chairs to Three Stooges memorabilia in Philly's quirky and unusual collections. There are enough museums and exhibits around to please Philadelphians of all types, no matter how offbeat their interest may be. For the science-minded. The Wagner Free Institute of Science, at 1700 W. Montgomery Ave., not only offers valuable natural history lessons, but retains the original 1891 layout designed by Joseph Leidy, one of the museum's most prominent curators.

Here's a factoid, courtesy of the Internet Movie Database: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian marks the second time that Napoleon Bonaparte and Abraham Lincoln have appeared in the same film. The first? Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Which, by the way, is a vastly more meaningful moviegoing experience than this knee-jerk sequel to the surprise 2006 Ben Stiller smash. A super-size rehash of the original - transplanted from New York's Museum of Natural History to the sprawling mall of museums run by the Smithsonian in Washington - this family-friendly vehicle once again stars Stiller as the museum guard who communes with objects and artifacts on display after the doors close for the day. Except this time, as Night at the Museum - Part Duh begins, Stiller's Larry Daley is no longer employed as a guard.

Everyone's heard the line about the exhibition where history comes alive. In Night at the Museum, a special-effects extravaganza based on the 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc, it's not just a boast. After closing time at the American Museum of Natural History, the frisky T-Rex skeleton plays fetch. The equestrian statue of Teddy Roosevelt gallops down the marble corridors to look at pretty Sacajawea in her diorama. Stuffed lions, testimony to the taxidermist's art, exercise their legs and lungs.

George F. Sandstr?m, 81, formerly of Cochranville, an artist and illustrator of natural history books, died of cancer June 1 at Herman Memorial Hospital in Houston. He had moved from Chester County to Sugarland, Texas, three years ago. Mr. Sandstr?m illustrated 40 books, including Seashells of the World and Gems and Semiprecious Stones for Golden Press; Philippine Birds, South Pacific Birds and Woodpeckers of the World, published by the Delaware Museum of Natural History; and two books on rocks and minerals by Charles Sorrell.

The nice thing about a program of short works is that it's like eating tapas - if one little plate isn't to your taste, there's always another one. Natural History is a quartet of little plays by Jennifer Camp linked by theme (love) and locale (the American Museum of Natural History in New York). They provide a charming and entertaining evening (about 90 minutes) in the Walnut Independence Studio's Philadelphia premiere. Three accomplished actors (Evan Jonigkeit, Wendy Scharfman and Russ Widdal)

For some of Pennsylvania's and New Jersey's politically active Republicans, the inauguration offered a chance to celebrate President Bush's election as well as to see and be seen. Folks from New Jersey gathered Wednesday evening for a $300-a-head fund-raiser at the Old Ebbitt Grill, where all seven Republican gubernatorial candidates mingled in a crowd of 300. Bret Schundler, one of the front-runners for the GOP nomination, said he was in Washington "to celebrate the President's inauguration.

On the first floor: One claw and a forearm bone from a giant sloth. A very old, very dead False Vampire Bat. The snout of a 19th-century sawfish. On the second floor: An 1812 engraving of a hellbender salamander. Ink drawings of American Indian petroglyphs. An 1818 advertisement screaming: Just Arrived!!! A Great Serpent from America . . . The word curious hardly works to fully describe the 235 artifacts that Sue Ann Prince, curator of the American Philosophical Society, has grouped to create a new exhibition titled "Stuffing Birds, Pressing Plants, Shaping Knowledge.

D. James Baker, the retiring administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has been named the new president of the Academy of Natural Sciences. Baker will take office May 20 and will be charged with raising the national and international profile of the venerable Philadelphia institution. Baker, 65, will replace Seymour S. Preston 3d, who has been serving as interim president since the departure of president Paul Hanle in April 2000. Baker, an oceanographer who has sailed the world's seas, invented a method of measuring ocean currents, and overseen the launching of four ocean-observing satellites, said he was attracted to the academy because of its impressive 190-year history and its mission to bring natural history and environmental issues to the public.