Butterflies and Archives: Retracing Australia's greatest museum heist

In January 1947, a chance discovery rocked the world of natural science: over 3,000 butterfly specimens had vanished from Australia’s most prestigious museums in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide.

Drawing on unpublished case files, dossiers, and private archives, journalist Walter Marsh’s latest book The Butterfly Thief explores this scientific true-crime caper, while exploring thornier questions about museums, collectors, and colonisation.

Join Walter as he shares the story behind the book, and how State Library collections informed his research.

Image: Recovered butterflies that 'Passed through the C.W. Wyatt Theft Collection' at the Australian Museum, September 2024. Photographer Walter Marsh.