From Russia, with leaves

Royal doctor’s 200-year-old plant collection to go on show in Brighton Museum

A fascinating new exhibition at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, opening 15 July, will showcase a unique collection of over 200-year-old plant specimens gathered by one of the 19th century’s most remarkable figures—Sir Alexander Crichton, royal physician and botanical enthusiast.

Best known for his groundbreaking work in mental health—including one of the earliest medical descriptions of ADHD—Crichton also served as Physician in Ordinary to Tsar Alexander I of Russia and was later knighted by George IV at Brighton’s Royal Pavilion in 1821. Yet behind the accolades and royal appointments, he quietly pursued a lifelong passion for botany.

Between 1805 and 1815, Crichton collected, pressed, and annotated plant specimens during his travels across Europe and Russia. These were carefully preserved in what is now known as the St. Petersburg Book—a rare herbarium that was donated to Brighton in 1920 by his grandson, Major Edward D. Crichton. The collection is usually housed at the Booth Museum of Natural History and contains the oldest botanical specimens in the museum’s care.

For the first time in over a century, highlights from the herbarium will be brought out of storage and displayed at Brighton Museum. The exhibition groups the specimens into themes such as food plants, medicinal herbs, aquatic species, and wildflowers, with each sheet bearing Crichton’s original handwritten notes.

Hedley Swain, CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums said

“The display is a fascinating mix of science, history and humanity. Sir Alexander Crichton was a visionary, and this exhibition gives a rare glimpse into the personal curiosity that underpinned his extraordinary public career. We’re also delighted to highlight the incredible collections held at our Booth Museum of Natural History, which deserve to be much better known.”

Herbarium: Flore de Petersbourg runs from 15 July 2025 to 11 January 2026 in the Prints & Drawings Gallery at Brighton Museum. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am -5pm, free with Brighton Museum admission, members free.