Leonora Saunders' Darwin Portraits at Cambridge University Library
Leonora Saunders' photographic series 'Darwin in Conversation: Off the Page' is permanently installed at the Cambridge University Library Tea Room. The eight 140x100x5 cm panels commemorate marginalized correspondents of Charles Darwin, contextualized within Victorian colonial society. The work culminates the 40-year Darwin Correspondence Project, a digital archive of Darwin's letters published by Cambridge University. Each portrait includes three-tiered captions: notes on the depicted figure, the model, and a personal interpretation. The exhibition was sponsored by the Evolution Education Trust, which supports life sciences education against disinformation. Saunders is co-founder and strategic director of Improper, a queer-oriented creative agency engaging in socio-cultural lobbying.
Key facts
- Leonora Saunders created 'Darwin in Conversation: Off the Page' for Cambridge University Library.
- The work consists of eight photographic panels, each 140x100x5 cm.
- The series was originally displayed in the library's main corridor, now permanently in the Tea Room.
- It is based on the Darwin Correspondence Project, a 40-year initiative publishing all of Darwin's correspondence.
- Each portrait depicts marginalized correspondents of Darwin, with costumes and props from Victorian society.
- The captions include three levels: figure notes, model information, and a personal statement.
- The Evolution Education Trust was the main sponsor, supporting life sciences education.
- Saunders is co-founder and strategic director of Improper, a queer-oriented creative agency.
Entities
Artists
- Leonora Saunders
- Charles Darwin
- Federico Baronello
Institutions
- Cambridge University Library
- Cambridge University
- Darwin Correspondence Project
- Evolution Education Trust
- Improper
- Artribune
Locations
- Cambridge
- United Kingdom
- Down House