THE WEDGWOOD COELACANTH COLLECTION OF MISS MARJORIE COURTENAY-LATIMER - DISCOVERER OF THE COELACANTH

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was the curator at the East London museum who discovered the coelacanth on 22 December, 1938. This lot includes:

1.) The original sketch for the Coelacanth plate designed by Sir James Wedgwood.

2.) Miss Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer's personal copy of the Wedgwood plate.

3.) A 1950's booklet containing her signature on the subject of English Bone China.

4.) Miss Courtenay-Latimer's personal scrapbook containing clippings and articles on Wedgwood pottery. This scrapbook also has two notes in her hand and some photos of the Wedgwood exhibition that was held at her museum in East London, South Africa.

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, curator at the East London museum, was the first person to discover the living fossil we know today as the coelacanth. On 22 December, 1938, she received a telephone call from Captain Hendrik Goosen at the East London docks who told her that he had caught something that may be of interest to her. She regularly inspected his catches and on this occasion, it being the last open day at the museum before the Christmas holiday, she was not very keen to go, but did so anyway if only to wish everyone she knew there a happy Christmas. As she picked away at the layers of fish of the day's catch she suddenly found herself staring right into the face of a monster from prehistory. She realised what she saw was extraordinary although she did not exactly know what it was. It was Professor J. L. B. Smith who correctly identified her fish as a coelacanth two weeks later.

Sir John Wedgwood met Miss Courtenay-Latimer in Elgin, Cape, in August of 1939. Their mutual friend Miss Kathleen Murray suggested that Wedgwood should consider making a plate to commemorate the discovery of this remarkable fish. He was very keen on the idea but war put all their plans on hold. In 1948 he again contacted Miss Courtenay-Latimer, and sent a sketch of the coelacanth plate (the one included in this lot), asking what she thought of it. She did not like the design of the coral and seaweed, feeling that the value of the fish was lost, and suggested he rather use pecten shells, which she loved. The suggested changes were made and 500 commemorative plates were specially struck in 1948 to be exclusively sold by the East London museum. The plate in this lot was Miss Courtenay-Latimer's own copy.

She was a great admirer and collector of Wedgwood pottery and in 1957 she staged a Wedgwood exhibition at East London museum. Through Sir John Wedgwood she received a complete set of all the material which went into making the coelacanth plate. By this time they had long since received the 500 commemorative plates that were sold at 10s6d. She regularly received catalogues from Sir John Wedgwood himself and many of them were pasted into her scrapbook. In 1963 the commemorative plate was reissued.