The historiography of Darwinism underwent a significant transformation in the latter half of the twentieth century. This shift led to a growing emphasis on reception studies and a reassessment of the so-called eclipse of Darwinism, particularly through the work of Peter J. Bowler. At the same time, advances in evolutionary biology prompted biologists to critically revisit themes overlooked during the MS. This chapter explores how new interpretations of the “eclipse” period emerged at the intersection of scientific and historiographical debates. It begins by examining how Stephen Jay Gould, starting in the 1970s, engaged with the intellectual traditions of the “eclipse” period, establishing a theoretical framework in evolutionary biology for reassessing the contributions of non-Darwinian traditions. It then turns to Bowler’s historiographical agenda, showing how The Eclipse of Darwinism (1983), while bringing long-marginalized figures to light, remained only partially disentangled from the historiography of the MS. The final section discusses how both scientists’ retrospective interest in “unorthodox” evolutionary theories and historians’ efforts to move beyond outdated dichotomies have contributed to challenging traditional historiographical narratives.