Undaunted: Five America Explorers, 1760 – 2007

June 22, 2007 – December 28, 2008
104 S. 5th Street

What does it take to be an Explorer? Find five intrepid individuals who shared a sense of adventure and the courage to explore the unknown: David Rittenhouse in the 18th century, John James Audubon, Titian Ramsay Peale, and Elisha Kent Kane in the 19th century, and Ruth Patrick who bridged the 20th and 21st centuries.

Each of these explorers had a Philadelphia connection and each was a member of the American Philosophical Society. All five had wonderful stories to tell. They were profiled in the exhibition using portraits, watercolors, sketches, maps, rare books, ship models, specimens, and the essential instruments of discovery—clocks, compasses, telescopes, and microscopes. The objects were drawn largely from the Society's important history of science collections.