smithsonianlibraries:wellcomecollection:Three facts about this whalebone walking stick with skull po
smithsonianlibraries: wellcomecollection: Three facts about this whalebone walking stick with skull pommel: 1. It has green glass eyes. 2. It was owned by Charles Darwin. 3. Darwin called it his “morituri”: a type of memento mori (objects that remind their owners of the shortness of human life and the inevitability of death). See this object for yourself in our #MedicineMan gallery. aaaah, this is so cool! Darwin’s skull-topped walking stick. I am dying. Charles Darwin died at age 73. -- source link
#charles darwin#whalebone#walking stick#morituri#memento mori#human interest#mortality