‘Picture This #13′ Mary Anning’s Ichthyosaur, Sedgwick Museum

Ichthyosaur Credit: University of Cambridge

Mary Anning’s fossil discoveries revealed an ’ancient Dorset’, and were influential contributions to the blossoming science of palaeontology during the early 19th century.

What is it?

This is the fossil skeleton of an ichthyosaur, a type of extinct marine reptile. It lived during the early Jurassic Period, and is around 200 million years old. The fossil was found in the cliffs at Lyme Regis in Dorset in 1835 by celebrated fossil collector Mary Anning.

What’s the story?

The ichthyosaur fossil was purchased from Mary Anning by Cambridge geologist and Woodwardian Professor Adam Sedgwick. Sedgwick’s desire to expand the University’s geological collections meant he was well connected with many of the fossil collectors of the time. A series of letters between Anning and Sedgwick during the summer of 1835 has enabled us to trace the history of this specimen.

A letter from Anning to Sedgwick, delivered by the hand of a Lyme clergyman who happened to be visiting Cambridge, dated 29 June 1835, first roused Sedgwick’s interest in the fossil. In the letter Anning describes it as ’a perfect Ichthyosaurus about four feet and a half long’. Along with this specimen she mentions two other fossil ichthyosaurs for sale, as well as some fossil crinoids (sea-lilies). Noticeably, and perhaps shrewdly, Anning did not mention the price of any of the specimens in this letter.

Sedgwick replied on 24 July, to which Anning wrote back detailing the prices of some of the fossils, specifying that the price of the Ichthyosaur specimen was £50.

Although there is no known letter confirming Sedgwick’s interest in the specimen at the stipulated price, a letter from Anning to Sedgwick dated 9 September confirms that she ’sent off the Ichths [sic] on Tuesday 2^nd of September on board the Unity, Pearce Mastr’. She also sent a letter, dated 23 September, acknowledging receipt of an order for £50.