Animal taxidermy has been around for more than thousands of years. It all originated from the ancient Egyptians, being one of the first ones to preserve animals. Some of the techniques they used preserved animals with special oils, spices, and some other techniques that kept them from decaying. Mainly, pets and sacred animals are buried with their respective owners, calling for early forms of animal taxidermy.
Also, as years go by, humans have displayed more interest in keeping animals for preservation due to various reasons. Also, around the 1500s, we can still witness the earliest mounts of most of the taxidermy relics that exist up to the present; a crocodile was purported to be preserved even centuries ago and still hangs, displayed, that hangs from the ceiling of a church in Italy. This goes on to suggest that people were interested long ago in having the hanging exotic animal on display.
Taxidermy as a practice thrived in and around the 18th and 19th centuries when it began to take on an art form and become a more prevalent medium. Scientists observed public interest in natural history and curiosity, leading to a great demand for these animals.
In former times, when a taxidermist would take an animal’s skin and stuff it with anything from sawdust to rags to straw, the animal often appeared quite strange or misshapen. But that was then, and things have, of course, changed and improved greatly over the years for taxidermists. They now use more advanced techniques to both preserve skin and pose it more lifelike.
The Victorian Era: A Golden Age for Animal Taxidermy
Animal taxidermy reached its peak during the Victorian era, from 1837 to 1901. This is a period when taxidermy was really popular and used in Europe and America. Taxidermy was used to learn about far off places that people might never see in the real world.
Taxidermy had now gone way beyond the boundaries of museums. People started keeping taxidermy animals as pets in their houses, while others even created funny scenes dressing the animals up and posing them as if they were humans.
A brief excursion through the annals of the history of animal taxidermy would show that it was not only the animals that were being preserved; in some cases, it was in aid of the animals. William Hornsday was a taxidermist who contributed to the awareness of the extinction of the American Bison.
Recent Technological Developments in Taxidermy
As history progressed, so did the techniques in animal taxidermy. The use of chemicals began to improve preservation better into the 1700s. One popular method was arsenic soap, which only led to keeping bugs off the animal post-preservation. This, of course, was poisonous to the taxidermists, so now we use borax.
The way taxidermists mounted animals also improved for the better. Instead of merely stuffing skins, they began creating detailed mannequins to cover with hides. This made the animals look much more realistic.
Famous Names in the History of Taxidermy
Whilst there are so numerous important figures in the history of taxidermy, one stands out from the crowd: Henry Augustus Ward. In 1861, he founded Ward’s Natural Science Establishment in New York, becoming the incubator from which most of the country’s best taxidermists emerged, along with setting new standards for museum displays.
Another crucial individual was Carl Akeley, often regarded as the father of modern taxidermy, who came up with innovative ways through which taxidermy animals could look more realistic than ever.
Animal Taxidermy in Museums and for Education
From the time animal taxidermy was invented, museums have been at the center. Through taxidermy, members of the public could view and learn about animals from all over the world. Scientists could learn about their anatomy and their different behaviors, including those of animals that did not exist anymore.
Many well-known museums, including the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., have vast collections of taxidermy animals. With the help of the exhibits, it opens the eyes of the people to wildlife and nature conservation.
Modern Taxidermy
The tradition of this form of art is kept intact up to the present way of expression. In this modern era, taxidermists used forms and plastics to attain ultra realistic looking mounts. They also practice closely with the state agencies for the source of animals with ethics.
We’re proud at Artistic Visions Wildlife Taxidermy to take our place in this long and fascinating history. We marry traditional techniques to modern innovations in order to produce stunning life-like taxidermy that pays homage to the natural world.
The practice of animal taxidermy tells the story of the adaption of our relationship to nature from ancient preservation techniques to modern art forms as a means of captivating and enlightening people around the world.
Whether you are a hunter, and it’s that one special trophy you want; perhaps you’re a lover of nature interested in the creation of wildlife art; maybe you’re just a person with an interest in the rich historical tradition of taxidermy.
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