His first serious collecting venture ended disastrously: returning to England after four years collecting in the Amazon region, his ship caught fire and sank and Wallace's collections were lost. The self-taught Wallace decided the best way to finance his studies in natural science was to collect specimens to sell to museums and private collectors, always keeping one specimen for his own collection. He had a range of jobs, including field surveyor, which increased his interest in the natural world. From Pauling we learn that Wallace's family struggled financially and that he had to leave school before he turned 14. Pauling puts in a sterling performance in a video to introduce and explain the exhibition, located near the entry and alongside a collection of photographs of Alfred Wallace. The former Northern Territory solicitor-general, who later became the Administrator of the Northern Territory, is also a gifted amateur thespian, having appeared in more than 40 theatrical productions since he arrived in Darwin in 1970. Tom Pauling AO QC is a well-known figure in Darwin. Some of these items come from the personal collection of Tom and Tessa Pauling. While MAGNT possesses a large array of material relating to Wallace, it has augmented its collections with items borrowed from other institutions and individuals to create a most engaging exhibition. Travelling from Sulawesi to the islands off New Guinea, the vessel the brothers sailed in was almost identical to the one used by Wallace over a century earlier. Wallace's account of his journeys has inspired many to follow his tracks perhaps most famous is the case of brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair, who spent much of the 1970s and 80s in Indonesia, and recreated one of Wallace's journeys for their documentary series and book Ring of Fire. We are told in one of the interpretative panels at the exhibition that Wallace was one of the first Europeans to describe Indonesian methods of wooden boat construction - a matter of particular interest for some MAGNT staff, as the museum has a substantial collection of Indonesian wooden boats. He also described in detail items of material culture. ![]() His observations make him one of the earliest ethnographers. While Wallace's aim was to collect natural science specimens he also gave great attention to the people who lived in the places he travelled. The book reveals the ever-curious Wallace as an explorer and adventurer. Wallace's The Malay Archipelago first appeared in 1869 and has remained in print ever since. Alfred Wallace is a popular figure here because he wrote one of the greatest travel books on the region ever published. Many people in Darwin have connections with Indonesia or Malaysia.
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