ARTHUR WILLIAM BADEN POWELL (1901-1987) 
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 
WITH A LIST OF MOLLUSCAN TAXA 
W. O. CERNOHORSKY 
AUCKLAND INSTITUTE AND MUSEUM 
Arthur William Baden Powell, known to everyone as “Baden”, died on the Ist 
July 1987 at the age of 86 from a stroke he suffered a week earlier. He was a 
conchologist of the old school like his colleagues Tom Iredale (1880-1972) in the 
Sydney Museum and Bernard Cotton (1905-1966) in the Adelaide Museum. Baden 
Powell made an outstanding contribution to New Zealand Malacology and also laid 
the groundwork for the study of the extensive family Turridae. He was a keen field 
worker and an accomplished artist who illustrated his papers either through excellent 
line drawings or photographs. As a taxonomist he was a “splitter” rather than a 
“lumper” and always considered clinal variants worthy of a scientific name. New 
Zealand Malacology has lost a dedicated researcher and a fine human being. 
PERSONAL 
Arthur William Baden Powell was born on the 4th April 1901 in Wellington, the 
son of Arthur Powell and Minnie Wilhelmina Sablofski. Two years later the family 
moved to Auckland where his father set up business as a stamp dealer in Shortland 
Street. Baden was educated at Parnell and Mt Eden schools and received his 
secondary education at Auckland Grammar school. In 1916 he studied fine art under 
Frank and Walter Wright and attended evening classes at Elam School of Art, 
Auckland, Between 1918-1929 he worked as a commercial artist and lithographer for 
Clark & Matheson and later for the “New Zealand Herald”, the “Auckland Star” and 
the Banks Box Company. He was encouraged in his molluscan studies by the 
Auckland Museum botanist T.F, Cheeseman who gave him access to the collections at 
the Museum’s old quarters in Princes Street, Auckland. He acted as Honorary 
Conchologist for the Auckland Institute and Museum since 1916, and in 1929 he was 
appointed to the staff of the Auckland Institute and Museum as conchologist and 
paleontologist. In 1936 he was promoted to Assistant Director of the Museum and he 
served in this capacity till his retirement in 1968 when he was appointed Honorary 
Research Associate in Mollusca. 
Baden married Isabel Essie Gittos who pre-deceased him in 1976. He was married 
for a second time to Ida Worthy in 1978. In his private life he was a dedicated family 
man who enjoyed classical music, philately and watercolour painting. 
Rec. Auckland Inst. Mus.25: 1-38 19 December 1988 
