GALLERY: the Blaschkas’ tiny glass sea anemones

Blaschka models were created in the 1800s by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka to replicate marine invertebrates, including the sea anemones pictured in this gallery. The idea of Blaschka models came about as a result of the difficulty in preserving real-life specimens, which could not be put on display or be used for educational purposes as traditional methods of preservation caused fading and distortion. Here, you can admire the handwork of the Blaschka family, who created a formidable business selling these delicate glass models to museums around the world. The Blaschka models are now on display in the 200 Treasures exhibition in the Australian Museum’s Westpac Long Gallery. You can read more about the history of these Blaschka models in the upcoming issue of Australian Geographic which hits stands on 2 November.