The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH; also known as the Field Museum) is a private–public natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational and scientific programs, as well as its extensive scientific specimen and artifact collections.
A private nonprofit institution, the museum operates in close partnership with the municipal government agency Chicago Park District, which owns the land and building. The museum is run by a private Board of Trustees and funded through a combination of ticket sales, memberships, donations, endowments, and grants, along with some public funding for specific programs or maintenance.
The permanent exhibitions, which attract up to 2 million visitors annually, include fossils, current cultures from around the world, and interactive programming demonstrating today's urgent conservation needs. The museum is named in honor of its first major benefactor, Marshall Field, the department-store magnate. The museum and its collections originated from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the artifacts displayed at the fair.
The museum maintains a temporary exhibition program of traveling shows, as well as in-house produced topical exhibitions. The professional staff maintains collections of over 24 million specimens and objects that provide the basis for the museum's scientific-research programs. These collections include the full range of existing biodiversity, gemstones, meteorites, fossils, and extensive anthropological collections and cultural artifacts from around the globe. The museum's library, which contains over 275,000 books, journals, and photo archives focused on biological systematics, evolutionary biology, geology, archaeology, ethnology and material culture, supports the museum's academic-research faculty and exhibit development.
The academic faculty and scientific staff engage in field expeditions, in biodiversity and cultural research on every continent, in local and foreign student training, and in stewardship of the rich specimen and artifact collections. They work in close collaboration with public programming exhibitions and education initiatives.
History
In 1869, and before its formal establishment, the museum acquired the largest collection of birds and bird descriptions, from artist and ornithologist Daniel Giraud Elliot. In 1894, Elliot would become the curator of the Department of Zoology at the museum, where he worked until 1906.
To house the exhibits and collections assembled for the World's Columbian Exposition for future generations, Edward Ayer convinced the merchant Marshall Field to fund the establishment of a museum. Originally titled the Columbian Museum of Chicago in honor of its origins, the Field Museum was incorporated by the State of Illinois on September 16, 1893, for the purpose of the "accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition of artifacts illustrating art, archaeology, science and history". The Columbian Museum of Chicago occupied the only building remaining from the World's Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park, the Palace of Fine Arts. It is now home to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
In 1905, the museum's name was changed to Field Museum of Natural History to honor its first major benefactor and to reflect its focus on the natural sciences.
Stanley Field was the president in 1906.
During the period from 1943 to 1966, the museum was known as the Chicago Natural History Museum. In 1921, the Museum moved from its original location in Jackson Park to its present site on Chicago Park District property near downtown Chicago. By the late 1930s the Field Museum had emerged as one of the three premier museums in the United States, the other two being the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
The museum has maintained its reputation through continuous growth, expanding the scope of collections and its scientific research output, in addition to its award-winning exhibitions, outreach publications, and programs. The Field Museum is part of Chicago's lakefront Museum Campus that includes the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium.
In 2015, it was reported that an employee had defrauded the museum of $900,000 over a seven-year period to 2014.
Attendance The Museum received 1,018,002 visitors in 2022, ranking the 21st most-visited museum in the United States.TEA-AECOM Museum Index, published June 14, 2023.
Permanent exhibitions Animal Halls Animal exhibitions and dioramas such as Nature Walk, Mammals of Asia, and Mammals of Africa allow visitors an up-close look at the diverse habitats that animals inhabit. Most notably featured are the man-eating lions of Tsavo. The Mfuwe man eating lion is also on display.
Species represented in the Animal HallsGalleryAardvarkMammals of AfricaAfrican BuffaloMammals of AfricaAfrican ElephantStanley Field HallAlaskan Brown BearMessages from the WildernessArgaliMammals of AsiaBarasinghaMammals of AsiaBeaverMessages from the WildernessBeisa OryxMammals of AfricaBengal TigerMammals of AsiaBlackbuck AntelopeMammals of AsiaBlack RhinocerosMammals of AfricaBlack WildebeestMammals of AfricaBongoMammals of AfricaBurchell's ZebraMammals of AfricaCapybaraMessages from the WildernessCaribouMessages from the WildernessCaribbean ManateeSea MammalsCattle EgretMammals of AsiaCheetahMammals of AfricaChitalMammals of AsiaCommon ElandMammals of AfricaCougarMessages from the WildernessDibatagMammals of AfricaLionMammals of AfricaElephant SealSea MammalsGaurMammals of AsiaGelada BaboonMammals of AfricaGerenukMammals of AfricaGiant AnteaterMessages from the WildernessGiant Forest HogMammals of AfricaGiant PandaMammals of AsiaGiant Sable AntelopeMammals of AfricaGlacier BearMessages from the WildernessGrant's GazelleMammals of AfricaGreater KuduMammals of AfricaGuanocosMessages from the WildernessHog DeerMammals of AsiaHyacinth MacawsMessages from the WildernessIbexMammals of AsiaImperial WoodpeckerMessages from the WildernessIndian GazelleMammals of AsiaIndian RhinocerosMammals of AsiaIndian SambarMammals of AsiaJaguarMessages from the WildernessLeopardMammals of AsiaLesser KuduMammals of AfricaMantled GuerezaMammals of AfricaMalay TapirMammals of AsiaMarsh DeerMessages from the WildernessMexican Grizzly BearMessages from the WildernessMountain NyalaMammals of AfricaMule DeerMessages from the WildernessMuskoxenMessages from the WildernessNarwhalSea MammalsNilgaiMammals of AsiaNorthern Fur SealSea MammalsOrangutanMammals of AsiaPlains ZebraMammals of AfricaPolar BearMessages from the WildernessProboscis MonkeyMammals of AsiaPronghornMessages from the WildernessReticulated GiraffeMammals of AfricaRoosevelt ElkMessages from the WildernessSea OtterSea MammalsSloth BearMammals of AsiaSnow LeopardMammals of AsiaSomali WildassMammals of AfricaSpotted HyenaMammals of AfricaStriped HyenaMammals of AsiaSwayne's HartebeestMammals of AfricaTakinMammals of AsiaTapirMessages from the WildernessThomas' Uganda KobMammals of AfricaWalrusSea MammalsWart HogMammals of AfricaWater BuffaloMammals of AsiaWeddell SealSea MammalsWhite RhinocerosMammals of AfricaYellow-checked GibbonMammals of Asia
Evolving Planet Evolving Planet follows the evolution of life on Earth over 4 billion years. The exhibit showcases fossils of single-celled organisms, ancient Invertebrates, early fish, Permian synapsids, dinosaurs, extinct mammals, and early hominids. The Field Museum's non-mammalian synapsid collection consists of over 1100 catalogued specimens, including 46 holotypes. The collection of basal synapsids includes 29 holotypes of caseid, ophiacodontid, edaphosaurid, varanopid, and sphenacodontid species – approximately 88% of catalogued specimens. Species represented in Evolving PlanetTypeSpecimen NotesCardipeltisagnathanfossil skeletonDrepanaspisagnathanfossil skeletonTiktaaliksarcopterygianfossil skeletonAchelomatemnospondylfossil skeletonBradysauruspareiasaurfossil skeletonCacopsdissorophid temnospondylsfossil skeletonCaptorhinuscaptorhinidfossil skeletonCaseapelycosaur synapsidsfossil skeletonDicynodontanomodont therapsidsfossil skeletonEdaphosaurusedaphosaurid synapsidfossil skeletonEryopstemnospondylfossil skeletonJonkeriadinocephaliansfossil skullLabidosaurusanapsid reptilefossil skeletonLycaenopscarnivorous therapsidsfossil skullOphiacodonophiacodontidae synapsidfossil skeletonSeymouriaprimitive tetrapodfossil skeletonDiasparactusdiadectid reptiliomorphfossil skeletonSphenacodonsynapsidfossil skeletonVaranopsvaranopid synapsidfossil skeletonAnchiceratopsceratopsid dinosaurfossil skullApatosaurussauropod dinosaurfossil skeletonAllosaurustheropod dinosaurfossil skullArchaeopteryxtheropod dinosaurfossil skeletonBrachiosaurussauropod dinosaurHolotype in permanent collections, mounted cast/model outside 2000 - 2023Buitreraptordromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurfossil skeletonCryolophosaurustheropod dinosaurfossil skullDaspletosaurus theropod dinosaurfossil skeletonDeinonychus dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurfossil skeletonHerrerasaurusherrerasauridae dinosaurfossil skeletonLambeosaurushadrosaurid dinosaurfossil skeletonMaiasaurahadrosaurid dinosaurfossil skeletonMajungasaurusabelisaurid theropod dinosaur fossil skullMasiakasaurustheropod dinosaursfossil skullParasaurolophussaurolophine hadrosaurid dinosaursfossil skeletonProtoceratopsceratopsian dinosaurfossil skeletonRapetosaurussauropod dinosaurfossil skeletonStegosaurusthyreophoran dinosaurfossil skeletonTriceratopsceratopsid dinosaurfossil skeletonTyrannosaurus rexcoelurosaurian theropod dinosaurfossil skeletonArctodusshort-faced bearfossil skeletonBarylambdapantodontfossil skeletonBasilosaurusprehistoric cetaceanfossil skeleton, pelvis with hind limbsCoryphodonpantodontfossil skeletonEobasileusuintatherefossil skullGlyptodonglyptodontfossil skeletonMastodonproboscideanfossil skeletonMegatheriumgiant ground slothfossil skeletonParamylodongiant ground slothfossil skeletonPronothrotheriumground slothfossil skeletonRodhocetusprehistoric cetaceanfossil skeleton, pelvis with hind limbSmilodonsaber-toothed catfossil skeletonThylacosmilussaber-toothed metatherianfossil skullUrsus spelaeuscave bearfossil skeletonWoolly Mammothproboscideanfossil skeleton
Inside Ancient Egypt Inside Ancient Egypt offers a glimpse into what life was like for ancient Egyptians. Twenty-three human mummies are on display as well as many mummified animals. The exhibit features a three-story replica (featuring two authentic rooms with 5,000-year-old hieroglyphs) of the mastaba tomb of Unas-Ankh, the son of Unas (the last pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty). Also displayed are an ancient marketplace showing artifacts of everyday life, a shrine to the cat goddess Bastet, and dioramas showing the afterlife preparation process for the dead.
In 2024 the museum performed CT scans on 26 of their mummies.
The Ancient Americas
The Ancient Americas displays 13,000 years of human ingenuity and achievement in the Western Hemisphere, where hundreds of diverse societies thrived long before the arrival of Europeans. In this large permanent exhibition visitors can learn the epic story of the peopling of these continents, from the Arctic to the tip of South America. The exhibit consists of six displays: Ice Age Hunters, Innovative Hunters and Gatherers, Farming Villagers, Powerful Leaders, Rulers and Citizens, and Empire Builders. Visitors are encouraged to begin with Ice Age Hunters and conclude with Empire Builders. In this way, visitors can understand the cultural and economic progression of the Ancient Americas. Throughout the exhibit, collections are displayed in a way that emphasizes the cultural context of the artifacts.