Description
Gentlemen Collectors uncovers the world of Victorian and Edwardian taxidermists in Norfolk and their satellites, which included eminent naturalists, ornithologists and collectors. Their clients ranged from racing drivers, ‘gentleman gunners,’ and nobility to gamekeepers, farmers and local land owners. Some taxidermists had to supplement their income with other trades. Others, including Norwich taxidermist T.E. Gunn, rose to national recognition, winning awards, creating large collections for country houses and tableaux for museums. The book reveals the natural history collections in Norfolk, both past and present.
The ledger and record book of Yarmouth taxidermist Walter Lowne and the diary and notes of Henry Pashley, give an insight into two of the most prolific collecting grounds in the Victorian age: Breydon Water and Cley-Next-Sea. Lowne’s most ambitious project was stuffing a whale, an extraordinary task that led to a national tour of major cities, accompanied by the renowned Norfolk naturalist Arthur Patterson.
There were over eighty taxidermists working in Norfolk in the hundred year period of its greatest popularity, an era that became known as ‘the dark days of collecting.’ The Wild Bird Protection Acts were of great importance in saving species from extinction and inevitably had an impact on the taxidermy trade. The book examines the progressive Acts and the Norfolk Wild Bird Protection Societies and presents an analysis of the history of taxidermy from a modern perspective.
Garry Emms –
An excellent book, one of those rare ones which is difficult to put down, strongly recommended, even to those who only have a remote interest in the subject.