WCS Archives

We are deeply grateful to the Boyden family for entrusting us with these materials and for helping ensure that Douglas Boyden’s work will continue to educate and bring joy to future generations.

These illustrations—along with 100+ others—have been generously donated to the WCS Archives in memory of Douglas G. and Helen M. Boyden by their children, Edward A. Boyden and Caroline E. Boyden. They are being added to WCS Archives Collection 1039, where they will join other Boyden works.

He met his wife, Helen Louise Mammen, while they were graduate students at the University of Rochester, and the couple made their home in San Diego beginning in 1969.

Although his artistic talent is clear, these works represent one facet of a very rich life. He graduated from Yale Med School, served in the US Navy, chaired the Ophthalmology Dept at the Naval Hospital in San Diego, and operated a private practice specializing in laser treatment of retinal disease.

Black and red butterflies on a flowering plant with a lush tropical background

Predominantly black butterfly with red eyespot on a thistle-like plant

Red trumpet flowers against lush green foliage

We are thrilled to share some stunning new additions to our Archives: a series of vibrant field illustrations painted by Department of Tropical Research artist Douglas Boyden during expeditions to Trinidad in the 1950s…

We are deeply grateful to the Boyden family for entrusting us with these materials and for helping ensure that Douglas Boyden’s work will continue to educate and bring joy to future generations.

Take a tip from these Adelie penguins filmed in Antarctica for a 1957 research project supported by @wcs.org and the National Science Foundation. If you can't beat the cold weather, best to enjoy it together!
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Do you think the #polarvortex arrived just to celebrate #PenguinAwarenessDay?! Brrrr.
#archives
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#archives #conservation #americanhistory

The Art of Fauna’s Puzzles from Hudson Canyon Announcing our collaboration with The Art of Fauna, a cozy puzzle app that scrambles animal illustrations into tiles that users can re-assemble into picture perfection while learning more about the…

We’ve supplied artwork by the Department of Tropical Research made during their voyage to #HudsonCanyon. For a closer look, see www.wcsarchivesblog.org/the-art-of-f...
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#archives #OceanConservation

Scrambled tiles of artwork created by the Department of Tropical Research.

We’re excited to announce our collaboration with The Art of Fauna, a cozy puzzle app that scrambles animal illustrations into tiles (like this one) that you can re-assemble into picture perfection while learning more about the species!
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#archives #puzzlegame #GameDev

Black and white photo of architectural drawing of the Great Apes House, late 1940s.

Black and white photo of construction of the Great Apes House in the late 1940s.

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View of the exhibit at the Great Apes House from a color postcard.

Text of a Great Apes House postcard caption titled "Plenty of room for the gorilla."

Black and white photo of Fairfield Osborn at Great Apes House ribbon-cutting event on opening day in October, 1950.

Black and white photo of entrance side to Great Apes House.

That story will get fresh attention in 2026, when the Noguchi Museum opens Noguchi’s New York, an exhibition that explores—among many other stories—Noguchi’s connection to the Great Apes House. We look forward to seeing it!
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#archives

Although that exhibit is long gone, its story is still unfolding in surprising ways. Here’s a fun fact we recently learned: during its planning, WCS President Fairfield Osborn discussed the project with famed sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988).
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The Congo Gorilla Forest at the Bronx Zoo is an immersive, participatory exhibit that is home today to the zoo’s gorillas and other animals. Congo represents an evolutionary step in zoo design that follows on an exhibit that opened 75 years ago this month, The Great Apes House.
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#archives

Shown are a 1906 postcard image of the aviary and its surroundings and a 1924 photo of a male argus pheasant taking in the view.
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Black and white photo of Male argus pheasant in enclosure with a uniformed keeper in the background. Taken in May 1924.

The building and enclosures went through a renovation in 1968. A new restoration effort took place earlier this year, and included better accessibility for keepers and artificial flowing streams for birds.
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#archives

Colorized postcard image of the Pheasant Aviary set back within the landscape of the Bronx Zoo.

We couldn't let this month end without a winged salute to 120 years of the Pheasant Aviary at the Bronx Zoo. The unique wood-framed, Tudor style building opened in September 1905, relieving some of the overcrowding at the Aquatic Bird House and Ostrich House.
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#archives

Baboons Grooming by Deborah Ross

Bat (1 of 2) by Katie Lee

Bat (2 of 2) by Katie Lee

...a treasure trove of design drafts and graphics for the Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and the New York Aquarium.
It’ll take some time before this collection is fully processed and digitized, but we couldn’t wait to show off some of these stunning images with you.
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Green Tree Python by S. Masques

Tamarins by David Kiehm

#dyk? Alongside preserving and sharing historical @wcs.org records, the WCS #Archives also collects today’s materials to save for future generations. We’re especially excited about a recent addition from WCS’s Exhibits and Graphic Arts Department:
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(If you ❤️ gazelles, sit tight. #WorldGazelleDay is July 9!)
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This Sunday, Aug. 10 is #WorldLionDay. The WCS #Archives holds bracing footage of a 1973 film titled "Predators of the Serengeti." It features George Schaller's Serengeti-based research on predator-prey relationships. The clips show lions hunting gazelles.
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Company profile of F.W. Eversley on letterhead.

Further details of F.W. Eversley firm from profile.

A highlight is the short biography of the construction firm of F.W. Eversley & Co. This was a Black-owned company started by civil engineer Frederick W. Eversley, Jr. in 1963. When the nocturnal animal exhibition opened, the firm was about to hit its business peak in the #newyorkmetro area.
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Photo showing exterior of World of Darkness, 1969

Photo showing exhibit of World of Darkness, circa 1970.

... is a wealth of historical information today! The cover art evokes a spooky mystery, while the news releases inside come with quotes and context from Director William Conway and the PR firm for architect Morris Ketchum.
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Illustrated eyes of nocturnal animals on black background

Illustrated eyes of nocturnal animals on black background

On this #ThrowbackThursday, the WCS #Archives looks back at the June 12, 1969 opening of the Bronx Zoo’s World of Darkness. That unique exhibition’s press kit, a folder packed with photos, facts, and statements from zoo leaders intended to help with news coverage...
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Illustration: Starfishes from Di, Station 113 by Helen Tee-Van

Illustration: Giant green-eyed lantern fish by Helen Tee-Van

Illustration: Seahorse by Helen Tee-Van

Illustration: Astronesthes pursuing Myctophym coccoi by night by Helen Tee-Van

Shown here: "Starfishes from Di, Station 113," "Giant green-eyed lantern fish," "Seahorses," "Astronesthes pursuing Myctophym coccoi by night" (all by Helen Damrosch Tee-Van) from Arcturus Expedition illustrations IV, 1925, WCS #Archives Collection 1039
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Hudson Canyon - WCS.org

Today, WCS is working to designate the #hudsoncanyon as a National Marine Sanctuary. See www.wcs.org/get-involved... for more.
Post 1: Staff examining specimens during an earlier part of the expedition. From “The Arcturus Expeditionary Ship of the NYZS,” 1925, WCS #Archives Collection 5011
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100 years ago today, @wcs.org's Department of Tropical Research began their study of the Hudson Canyon as part of the Arcturus Expedition. They were awestruck by the diversity and beauty of the species they found just 100 miles off the coast of New York City.
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#newyorkcity

Zoom in on negative of group examining Haul, station 8, Sargasso Sea

...the print’s detail, and finally the negative’s detail. We see a phenomenal range of contrast and a sharper image (especially on that pulley line in the foreground). We’re excited to share more, including never-before-seen images, as the project progresses in the coming months. Thanks METRO!
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Zoom in on photo print of group examining Haul, station 8, Sargasso Sea

...we tried upgrading our scans of small photo prints taken on the 1925 Arcturus voyage to scans of the same image using the glass plate negatives. For the detail-oriented, the results were eye-popping! Just look at the cropped images here; post 1 is a wide shot from the negative, in post 2...
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