Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
Portland Society of Natural History curator Edward S. Morse studied at Harvard with professor of Zoology, Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) starting from 1859 to 1861. Agassiz was a renowned Swiss naturalist who rejected Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Instead, Agassiz promoted polygenism, a racist and unfounded theory that proposed different races were separate species. People often used Agassiz’s teachings to justify enslaving Black people. Morse, an ardent supporter of evolutionary theory, broke with Agassiz over this issue.
About This Item
- Title: Louis Agassiz, Cambridge, Massachusetts, ca. 1870
- Creation Date: circa 1870
- Subject Date: circa 1879
-
Locations:
- Portland, Cumberland County, ME
- Cambridge, Middlesex County, MA
- Media: Ink on paper, Engraving
- Local Code: Coll. 420 B26F7
- Collection: John S. H. Fogg autograph collection
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Agassiz, L. (Louis), 1807-1873.
- Biology
- Evolution
- Harvard College (1780- )
- Prejudice
- Race discrimination
- Racism
People
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
Please post your comment below to share with others. If you'd like to privately share a comment or correction with MMN staff, please send us a message with this link.
