Exhibition

Herbarium: Plants in a New Light

10 September 2026 - 10 March 2027
10am-5pm, Tuesday to Friday
Free to all

A free exhibition showcasing photographs by Swedish artist Lena Granefelt, alongside Linnaeus' original herbarium specimens.

In 2022, artist and photographer Lena Granefelt spent several days at the Linnean Society, photographing a selection of pressed plants (herbarium) sheets, from the collection of Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). Lena photographed each specimen sheet using two flashes positioned behind it to provide backlighting, thereby capturing details of the flowers, leaves and stems that are not seen with the naked eye, as well as the structure of the eighteenth-century paper with its watermarks, laid and chain lines.

These photographs became part of Lena's project A Linnean Collection, which was exhibited in Stockholm, before becoming a book, the English edition of which was published last year:The Hidden Stories of The Linnaean Herbarium (2025).

This exhibition reunites Lena's photographs and Linnaeus's herbarium specimens, displaying them side by side.

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IndividualTiana Clarke Please note this is an example card and not a reflection of the final product

Visitor information

Address

The Linnean Society of London

Linnean Society Of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BF
02074344479

Free to all

Opening times

Tues - Fri 10am-5pm. Exhibition opening times may vary.

Visitor information