The afterlives of animals : a museum menagerie

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The afterlives of animals : a museum menagerie

edited by Samuel J.M.M. Alberti

University of Virginia Press, 2011

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Includes bibliographical references and index

Contents of Works

  • Introduction : the dead ark / Samuel J.M.M. Alberti
  • "The Queen's ass" : the cultural life of Queen Charlotte's zebra in Georgian Britain / Christopher Plumb
  • Maharajah the elephant's journey : from nature to culture / Samuel J.M.M. Alberti
  • Sir Roger the elephant / Richard Sutcliffe, Mike Rutherford, and Jeanne Robinson
  • "Under the skin" : the biography of a Manchester mandrill / Sophie Everest
  • Balto the dog / Rachel Poliquin
  • The biogeographies of a hollow-eyed harrier / Merle Patchett, Kate Foster, and Hayden Lorimer
  • Biological objects and "mascotism" : the life and times of Alfred the gorilla / Hannah Paddon
  • Neurath's whale / Michelle Henning
  • The afterlife of Chi-Chi / Henry Nicholls
  • The Thames whale : the difficult birth of a celebrity specimen / Richard C. Sabin
  • Enlivened through memory : hunters and hunting trophies / Garry Marvin
  • An afterword on afterlife / Geoffrey N. Swinney

Description and Table of Contents

Description

In the quiet halls of the natural history museum, there are some creatures still alive with stories, whose personalities refuse to be relegated to the dusty corners of an exhibit. The fame of these beasts during their lifetimes has given them an iconic status in death. More than just museum specimens, these animals have attained a second life as historical and cultural records. This collection of essays--from a broad array of contributors, including anthropologists, curators, fine artists, geographers, historians, and journalists--comprises short "biographies" of a number of famous taxidermized animals. Each essay traces the life, death, and museum "afterlife" of a specific creature, illuminating the overlooked role of the dead beast in the modern human-animal encounter through practices as disparate as hunting and zookeeping. The contributors offer fresh examinations of the many levels at which humans engage with other animals, especially those that function as both natural and cultural phenomena, including Queen Charlotte's pet zebra, Maharajah the elephant, and Balto the sled dog, among others. Readers curious about the enduring fascination with animals who have attained these strange afterlives will be drawn to the individual narratives within each essay, while learning more about the scientific, cultural, and museological contexts of each subject. Ranging from autobiographical to analytical, the contributors' varying styles make this delightful book a true menagerie. Contributors Samuel J. M. M. Alberti, Royal College of Surgeons * Sophie Everest, University of Manchester * Kate Foster * Michelle Henning, University of the West of England, Bristol * Hayden Lorimer, University of Glasgow * Garry Marvin, Roehampton University, London * Henry Nicholls * Hannah Paddon * Merle Patchett * Christopher Plumb, University of Manchester * Rachel Poliquin * Jeanne Robinson, Glasgow Museums * Mike Rutherford, University of the West Indies * Richard C. Sabin, Natural History Museum * Richard Sutcliffe, Glasgow Museums * Geoffrey N. Swinney, University of Edinburgh

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