Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the art and science of preparing, stuffing, and mounting animal skins for display or study. Originating from Greek terms meaning "to arrange skin," taxidermy involves preserving an animal's skin, fur, or feathers, often with additional elements like teeth and horns, to create a lifelike mount. This practice has ancient roots, with early examples found in hunter-gatherer societies that utilized animal skins for shelter and clothing, as well as in Ancient Egypt, where animals were mummified.
Throughout history, taxidermy has evolved significantly, notably during the Middle Ages for falconry and the Victorian era, when museums began showcasing mounted specimens. The twentieth century brought modernization, allowing taxidermists to create more realistic representations of animals by using forms within the skins instead of traditional materials. While popularity declined in the mid-20th century due to changing social attitudes and the saturation of museum displays, a resurgence has occurred in the 21st century, particularly among younger, academically inclined practitioners, including a notable increase in female taxidermists. Contemporary trends, such as rogue taxidermy, creatively blend conventional techniques with unconventional materials, reflecting evolving artistic expressions within the craft. Taxidermy mounts can be found in various settings, from private collections to public exhibitions, serving both aesthetic and educational purposes.
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals for display or other sources of study. The word taxidermy comes from the Greek words taxi, meaning "to arrange," and dermis, which means "skin." Those who practice the craft are called taxidermists. It involves preserving an animal's skin, fur, or feathers, in addition to any teeth, horns, or beaks, to be used on the finished product, which is called a mount. Mounts can contain bones to help re-create the animal's proper form or size, but more often, their interiors are filled with foam, resin, wood, plaster, or clay as the interior muscle tissue and organs of the animal are removed before mounting. The practice is generally carried out with vertebrate animals, such as mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.
Overview
Taxidermy is an ancient art form, and the practice of preserving animals dates back thousands of years. Back when people first hunted for food, they discovered the skins of the animals, when treated with certain substances, could be saved and used for everything from shelter to clothing. Thus, the first taxidermists, although primitive in design and execution, were the hunter-gatherers who crudely formed animal skins over mud huts for shelter. Later, Egyptians practiced a form of taxidermy when they preserved and mummified their cats, dogs, and other animals after they died.
As time passed on, the preservation methods used in the taxidermy process greatly improved. During the Middle Ages, birds were often stuffed to use during falconry hunting. Taxidermy continued to grow in popularity during the Victorian era, with many museums beginning to use mounts in displays. The twentieth century was an era that truly modernized the taxidermy process, as taxidermists began to pose animals and birds as they would appear in real life. Forms were placed inside the preserved skin instead of straw or other materials to give the finished mount a more realistic, almost lifelike look. Despite the better processes, taxidermy waned in popularity in the twentieth century. This is due in part to the fact that many of the larger museums had already filled elaborate habitat dioramas earlier in the century, thus creating less commercial demand. Further, after World War II (1939–1945), big-game hunting became less socially acceptable.
The twenty-first century, however, is seeing a resurgence in the centuries-old craft, with young practitioners becoming more interested in the trade. This new generation of taxidermists is young, academically driven, and largely female. The 2024 World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships in Iowa, for example, saw its biggest crowd ever with more than 1,800 attendees and over 700 entries. For many modern taxidermists, the craft has become a hip and trendy art form, with practitioners finding new ways to stand out. One such trend, dubbed rogue taxidermy, involves practitioners using conventional taxidermy materials mixed with other, more unconventional items or even combining multiple species of animals on one mount. Taxidermy mounts can be found in a variety of places, from private use to public settings, such as trophy mounts from hunts in a private home or as art in a museum or gallery. Taxidermy can also be found in sporting goods and outdoor retailers.
Bibliography
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Kelly, Kim. "'Rogue Taxidermy:' A Misunderstood Ethical Art Form or the Next Hipster Fad?" The Guardian, 16 Nov. 2016, www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/nov/16/taxidermy-hipster-art-ethics-morbid-anatomy-museum. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.
Marbury, Robert. Taxidermy Art: A Rogue's Guide to the Work, the Culture, and How to Do It Yourself. Artisan Books, 2014.
McCarthy, Erin. "13 Things You Probably Didn't Know about Taxidermy." Mental Floss, 7 Mar. 2023, mentalfloss.com/article/13067/11-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-taxidermy. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.
Milgrom, Melissa. Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
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Rahman, Anisur. "How Taxidermy Got Its Start." Taxidermy Hobbyist, taxidermyhobbyist.com/history-of-taxidermy/how-taxidermy-got-its-start.html. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.