Linnean Society of London

Founded in 1788, the Linnean Society of London is a learned society devoted to natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It was established by the botanist Sir James Edward Smith, who acquired the collections of Carl Linnaeus, giving the society an extraordinary foundation in specimens, manuscripts, and books.

Today, the society is based at Burlington House in London and continues its work through collections, lectures, events, journals, and books. Its official mission emphasizes science, heritage, and education, and it describes itself as the world’s oldest active biological society.

The society also holds an important place in the history of science: in 1858, it hosted the first public presentation of the ideas on natural selection developed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. For readers drawn to botany, zoology, and the history of discovery, it stands as both a scholarly institution and a living link to the development of modern biology.