The Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge is a spot in the city for curious science minds — but it also captures art.
Part of the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, the museum brings the natural world to life through exhibits that explore biodiversity, evolution and the history of life on Earth.
Visitors can wander through halls filled with dinosaur fossils, mounted mammals, minerals and global wildlife specimens. Highlights include the Great Mammal Hall, which features a display of skeletons and taxidermy, and the Birds of the World gallery, showcasing the variety of avian species across continents.
Of of the museum’s most iconic attraction is the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, commonly known as the Glass Flowers. Created between the late 19th and early 20th centuries by master glassmakers Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, the collection features thousands of detailed glass models representing hundreds of plant species, its website lists.
The models capture everything from petals to root systems with realism. They are even covered in vibrant paint.
“The Blaschkas used lampworking to make the models a technique in which glass tubes and rods are melted and softened in a flame and then manipulated into desired shapes,” the website reads. “They worked on many models simultaneously and in batches, making similar parts, like stems, leaves, and petals, individually, and then subsequently assembled them into complete models.”
Many of the models illustrate different stages of plant development, from buds and blossoms to fruiting structures, while others depict microscopic elements.
Special additions to the gallery offer insight into plant anatomy, life cycles and botanical research of the era.
The museum is located at 26 Oxford St. in Cambridge. See hours and admission rates here. General admission includes access to the Glass Flowers.