A new exhibition opened in the Library of the Royal College on Friday 1st May 2026: The Birds of America by John James Audubon: A World Treasure at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
John James Audubon (1785-1851) produced the world famous ‘The Birds of America’ between 1827-1838. The 435 plates depict 489 life-sized bird species in hand-coloured etchings, aquatints and engravings. The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has owned Volumes One and Two of the first edition of Audubon’s masterpiece since 1838, containing the first 200 plates.
This new exhibition explores the story of our copies, why the College owns them, the conservation and photography work we have undertaken and the wider engagement work we are delivering. It also considers Audubon’s contested legacy. He has been widely celebrated for his stunning achievements in art and ornithology, but he has also been accused of scientific fraud, plagiarism and inaccuracies. He owned enslaved people and supported discredited theories of “scientific racism”.
View our short film (less then 3 minutes long) about the conservation work carried out in 2025
His passion for nature led to his discovery of new species, which contributed to the knowledge and understanding of bird anatomy, and his books now serve to highlight the ongoing loss of species due to climate change, habitat decline and over hunting.
We are grateful to Museums Galleries Scotland for funding this project.
Why no gloves when handling the pages?
We are often asked why we don’t wear white gloves when we handle our manuscripts, archives and historic books. In fact, for handling most of this material, no gloves is the recommended modern standard. Clean, dry bare hands are preferred to avoid damaging fragile items, reducing dexterity, or transferring dirt. White gloves are only recommended for handling photographs, negatives, and polished metal to prevent fingerprint oil damage. The British Library have produced an informative guide to this thorny question. Click on the link to find out more https://www.bl.uk/stories/blogs/posts/white-gloves-or-not-white-gloves
Our College Library
The College Library was founded in 1698, when Faculty members donated books for our first home at the Trongate in Glasgow. We have been collecting books ever since, and our collection of rare books stretches back to the 15th century. We hold many fine examples of important historical texts, with particularly strong representation in medicine, surgery, botany and materia medica from the 18th and 19th centuries. We also hold a collection of several thousand medical pamphlets from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Most of the book collection can be found on our online catalogue and we regularly add new records to make our collections more discoverable.
Conservation of our editions of The Birds of America
Over the years, Members of the College were able to handle the books and turn their pages. This resulted in torn paper and thumb prints and stains around the edges. Luckily the actual pictures are still, on the whole, in pristine condition with the rich colours continuing to be sharp and vibrant. Despite the handling over the years, enough respect has been shown to these treasures that they remain in excellent condition.
Today, we keep the books in safe storage conditions and only handle them a few times each year, minimising light damage and additional wear and tear.
In 2025, Glasgow-based paper conservator Rebecca Goldie worked in situ in our Library, cleaning and repairing tears, flattening creases and even removing old sticky tape from the pages. This ensures these books are now in the best condition to survive for another 200 years.
You can search our Library catalogue online: https://rcpsg.ac.uk/college/library/books. To view the collection, please make an appointment by contacting: library@rcpsg.ac.uk
Visiting the exhibition
The College is open daily Monday to Friday. The Library is generally available to visit on Mondays 2-5pm, except Bank Holidays. As we are a very small team, it is best to contact us to double check access to the Library or to consult our collections for research, please make an appointment by emailing library@rcpsg.ac.uk.
Our building is accessible from street level via stairs or a lift. Inside, there are accessible toilets and stairs or lifts to access upper floors.
There are baby change facilities on the second floor.
Parking available is on-street and metred.