The father of marine aquariums.

[livingart]

The Horniman Museum’s Victorian Parlor Tank features coldwater marine life native to the United Kingdom. It’s a modern day riff on the legendary works of British naturalist and marine biologist Philip Henry Gosse, who is credited as inventing the word “aquarium” to replace the phrase “aquatic vivarium”. Unlike Gosse in the 1800s, this modern tank features a remote life support system with nothing but the best to ensure a stable, healthy environment.

Pic from Philip Henry Gosse’s 1855 book, A Handbook to the Marine Aquarium

A video from the Manchester Museum’s Youtube channel gives you behind the scenes look at what it takes to bring antiquity back to life.