At the time of its making, this box of specimen slides, for use with a microscope or other lens, would give a considerable advantage to a child who was studying natural history. The majority of the slides are of insects, or parts of insects, but some other small creatures, such as spiders, are also included. The words and classifications used to describe some specimens, such as 'eft' (newt) or 'zoophytes' is now obsolete.
It is perhaps now difficult to realise how very important natural history was in the educational curriculum before the 1920s. The study of plants and insects, and to some extent animals, were among the few scientific subjects which were considered suitable for inclusion in the education of girls, and certainly the only ones which could easily be studied at home. Until the 1920s even the school curriculum had often emphasised natural history, since many schools had neither the staff to teach subjects such as chemistry or physics, nor any science laboratories in which to do the work.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O209537/box-of-educational-unknown/
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