Joyce Allan

Joyce Allan (1896-1966) was a British-born Australian conchologist, museum curator at the Australian Museum and a scientific illustrator. She was the first woman to be elected a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales and the first woman to be in charge of the conchology section at the Australian Museum. She wrote extensively on shells and created accurate illustrations of shells for both her own and other people's publications. She also wrote articles for the Australian Museum Magazine and contributed to the Australian Encyclopaedia. She was a popular speaker and a subject of newspaper and magazine articles, as she was able to communicate her passion and knowledge of molluscs to the public. She published two books on molluscs: Australian Shells (1950) and Cowry Shells of World Seas (1956), which were well received by the scientific community and collectors. She also co-wrote The Sea-Horse and its Relatives (1964) with Gilbert Whitley. She was a pioneer in her field and a generous and influential figure in the history of Australian science.