Collection: Wildlife Conservation Society Library and Archives: WCS Department of Tropical Research Glass Negatives (circa 1916-1934)
Description: The Wildlife Conservation Society Library and Archives proposes to digitize 1,200 glass negatives created by WCS’s Department of Tropical Research (DTR). Between 1916 and 1965, the DTR conducted pioneering expeditions in tropical terrestrial and marine environments. Among the first Western scientists to study ecological relationships through direct field observation, the DTR’s work helped define what is now standard ecological research practice. Unusually for the time, their team–headquartered at WCS’s Bronx Zoo while not out in the field–included not only men but also women, and not only scientists but also artists, writers, photographers, and filmmakers, reflecting a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to science and public engagement.
This diversity was central to the DTR’s mission to share their findings with both scientific and general audiences. While now rarely known, the DTR was widely recognized in their day. They published extensively, DTR Director William Beebe’s books were bestsellers, and their expeditions—especially the record-setting 1930s deep-sea dives in the submersible known as the Bathysphere—were breathlessly covered in the American press. The DTR influenced generations of scientists, including Rachel Carson, David Attenborough, and George Schaller, and shaped US public perceptions of tropical wildlife and ecosystems. Their cultural reach extended even to iconic films, with DTR members Ruth Rose and Ernest Schoedsack serving respectively as screenwriter and director for King Kong (1933) and Mighty Joe Young (1949).
By digitizing and making these images accessible, we aim to support a broad range of researchers and creators, enable new understandings of ecological and cultural histories, and preserve a fragile but significant visual record of early twentieth-century scientific exploration.