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What is taxidermy? -

Taxidermy is the process of preserving an animal's body via stuffing or mounting (over an armature).

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Origins of the word -

Taxidermy comes from the Greek words taxis and derma, which mean “arrangement” and “skin.” The first references to the word date back to the early 1800s.

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We’ve been preserving animals for a long time -

One of the first types of animal preservation can be traced back to ancient Egypt, more specifically, the process of mummification (i.e. mummified cats).

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Mummification is not the same as taxidermy -

These are not quite the same, as different techniques were used, and for different purposes. “Mummies were created in a religious context, unlike taxidermy, which developed from a curiosity about nature,” wrote conservator Amandine Péquignot.

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The birth of modern taxidermy -

It is estimated that taxidermy started in 16th-century Europe. This is when the methods and chemicals necessary for the process were developed.

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The birth of modern taxidermy -

Though it was not until the 19th century that taxidermy became properly established.

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Great Exhibition -

In 1851, London hosted the Great Exhibition, which featured numerous examples of taxidermy, including a taxidermied elephant.

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An established art -

Taxidermy became a popular hobby at the time, with famous people such as Theodore Roosevelt taking lessons to learn the art.

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Victorians -

The art of “humanizing” stuffed animals also became popular. Victorian taxidermist Walter Potter, for instance, would dress them in clothes and place them in human-like settings.

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Captain James Cook -

Taxidermy played an important role in Captain Cook’s expeditions in the South Pacific. This was a way to preserve animals. It is believed that the first kangaroo skin was brought by Captain Cook to London in 1771.

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Captain James Cook -

Some bird specimens brought from Captain Cook's expeditions are on display in the London's Natural History Museum.

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A former slave taught Charles Darwin taxidermy -

A former slave from Guyana named John Edmonstone, who had learned taxidermy from naturalist Charles Waterton, taught Darwin how to preserve the specimens he collected.

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A former slave taught Charles Darwin taxidermy -

Darwin wrote to his sister saying that Edmonstone “gained his livelihood by stuffing birds, which he did excellently: he gave me lessons for payment, and I used often to sit with him, for he was a very pleasant and intelligent man.”

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Early taxidermy mounts -

The first mounts were stuffed with rags and sawdust, which would affect the anatomy of the creatures.

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Disfigured -

This shaped how we imagined animals, such as the extinct dodo. Taxidermists today can sculpt and stretch the animals’ skin using a mannequin or wind the body shape using string, like they did in Victorian times.

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People thought the first platypus was a hoax -

Captain John Hunter sent the first platypus specimen back to England in 1798, but some scientists thought someone had just sewn a duck's bill to a beaver!

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People thought the first platypus was a hoax -

"It naturally excites the idea of some deceptive preparation by artificial means," English zoologist George Shaw wrote in 1799.

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The first American taxidermy competition -

It took place in 1880 and was won by taxidermist William Temple Hornaday’s "A Fight in the Tree-Tops," which featured two orangutans.

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Change in the purpose of taxidermy -

The scientifically-accurate scene inspired other taxidermists to strive for accuracy in their mounts.

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Exhibitions -

The dioramas we can now find in several museums are pretty accurate. In 1889, Carl Akeleyc created the first habitat diorama in the US. It was on display at the Milwaukee Public Museum and portrayed muskrats.

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Carl Akeleyc -

Akeleyc's skills are mentioned in his wife’s memoir. She wrote that Akeleyc “skinned animals like a Park Avenue plastic surgeon,” to describe his level of detail in making incisions.

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Arsenic -

Arsenic was one of the first preservatives used in taxidermy. Dead birds, such as songbirds, were popular on ladies' hats in Victorian times. It goes without saying that wearing a hat with arsenic was not good for their health!

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Arsenic -

A young Theodore Roosevelt once tried to purchase a pound of arsenic for taxidermy purposes and was refused. "I was informed that I must bring a witness to prove that I was not going to commit murder, s uicide or any such [dreadful] thing, before I could have it!" he wrote.

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Terminology -

Taxidermy has its own terminology. An example would be a “specimen,” which is an exact replica of an animal as it would be found in the wild.

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Terminology -

This differs from a “trophy,” which would be for example an animal’s head mounted on a wall.

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Rhinoceros of Versailles -

Louis XV’s rhino, which was killed by a revolutionary in 1793, was taxidermied. Its skin is still on display at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France.

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Competitions -

There is a category in taxidermy competitions called “re-creations.” This is where taxidermists try to create an animal without using any of its actual parts (you can use natural parts of another animal, just not of the animal in question).

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Re-creations -

An example would be making an eagle using chicken or turkey feathers.

Sources: (Mental Floss) (The Washington Post)

See also: The world's strangest museums

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