The last known thylacine died in September 1936. Also known as Tasmanian tigers, they were the largest marsupial carnivores of modern times, and were deliberately eradicated after being falsely accused of harming the colonial sheep-farming industry. They have since become icons of both extinction and the state of Tasmania.
The Linnean Society holds one of the earliest European illustrations of the species, by John Lewin, painted shortly after the species became known to the colonists. Curiously, it seems unlikely Lewin ever encountered one alive.
The way thylacines - and other Australian mammals - were depicted and described by artists, scientists and museums profoundly shaped the West’s relationship with them. This talk will explore their story, and how colonial ideals influence they way we have come to know them.
Jack Ashby is the Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. His zoological focus is the mammals of Australia, but his work more broadly explores the biases influencing how nature is presented to the world, particularly through museums and their colonial legacies. His books, Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals and Animal Kingdom: A Natural History in 100 Objects combine these scientific and social stories.
From 2022-23 he was an Art Fund Headley Fellow. He is a trustee of the Natural Sciences Collections Association, an Honorary Research Fellow in UCL Science and Technology Studies, and formerly sat on the Council of the Society for the History of Natural History.
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