The Untold Truth Of Taxidermy

Taxidermy is the preparation of the skin of an animal so that it can be preserved for display. Initially, taxidermied creations were called "stuffing," likely because it's how many of them were created. According to "Taxidermy Vol. 12," after the animal was skinned, its skin would be stuffed with "straw, excelsior [shavings], or other similar material until it looked something like the living animal." However, this method is no longer used, and, instead, most taxidermists try to make the taxidermied creature appear "as lifelike as possible."

Nowadays, there are multiple main methods for taxidermy: traditional skin-mounts, freeze-dried mounts, and study skins. Animal Family writes that traditional skin-mounts typically use fresh skin, which is "immediately preserved or tanned" to prevent decay. The mounts may be made of wood, bound wool, or wire frames, but the original bones may also be used. With freeze-dried mounts, the creature is entirely frozen, and after its internal organs are removed, it's positioned into its final pose. Afterwards, a machine dehydrates the body using vacuum pressure and cold. This can take up to several months to do properly in order to avoid affecting the creature's appearance. In addition, this type of taxidermy requires upkeep. Study skins are primarily concerned with "scientific study" rather than "showcasing the animal." And since preservation is the main goal, the skin will be preserved using natural materials like cedar dust instead of chemicals. The body is typically stuffed with cotton or acid-free tissue to maintain the original shape.

When the first reports of a platypus came back to Europe, no one could believe that such a creature actually existed in the world. According to "The Art of Taxidermy" by Jane Eastoe, the platypus was first encountered in Australia in 1798. Afterwards, a drawing of the full animal was sent back to Britain along with its pelt. However, upon seeing the creature, "scientists decreed it an improbable taxidermy hoax."

In 1799, a full platypus was brought to biologist George Shaw in England preserved in alcohol. Atlas Obscura writes that Shaw proceeded to cut the beak off the platypus, convinced that he would find the stitching of an expert taxidermist. And despite finding no evidence that the creature was a fake, Shaw still couldn't believe that it was real. In "The Naturalist's Miscellany," Shaw would write that the platypus "naturally excites the idea of some deceptive preparation by artificial means." This wouldn't have been the first time that someone tried to convince the scientific community of a creature's legitimacy. But although the platypus was as genuine as they come, people like anatomist Robert Knox called the creature a "freak imposture."

In an attempt to convince the European scientists of the platypus's authenticity, during the 1830s and '40s, "literally thousands of preserved and stuffed platypus and their uteri were shipped back to Britain for research. It's a miracle they still survive today after such slaughter" (via International Science and National Scientific Identity).

Housed in Hyde Park in London, the Great Exhibition of 1851, also known as the Crystal Palace Exhibition, was partly created in order to display industrial advancements to the public. But as Atlas Obscura notes, it was also a "public relations device to boost the image of British superiority."

And without fail, taxidermy was numerously represented at London's Great Exhibition of 1851. For the centerpiece of the India display, which was still under British company control but would come under the Crown's rule in seven years, an elephant was demanded. Although an old elephant skin was found at the Saffron Walden Museum, it was a far cry from an Asian elephant. According to History Today, the elephant that was used came from South Africa in the 1830s and was an African elephant rather than an Asian elephant. As a result, the back was longer and wasn't the correct shape for the howdah that was to be strapped onto its back. But the display was put up regardless and "nobody seemed to mind that this African skin was found in Essex and exhibited in London as an Indian animal."

In addition to the elephant, the dioramas by German taxidermist Hermann Ploucquet also "enraptured the Victorians." Using taxidermied animals such as mice, rabbits, and hedgehogs, Ploucquet created action scenes from folk tales as well as popular paintings of the time, and the public was delighted by his dioramas. Even Queen Victoria described them as "really marvelous."

Although taxidermy is typically reserved for animals, the colonial mindset of possession allowed for the practice to be extended towards people as well. In 1831, Jules and Édouard Verreaux went to Cape Town in South Africa, then part of the British Empire, where they attended the funeral of a person who was part of the Sān people. The Guardian writes that after the funeral, "the Verreaux brothers dug up the man's body and had him stuffed, mounted and shipped back to France." Known as "El Negro," the Sān person was displayed at fairs in Paris as late as 1872. And after passing through different hands, he ended up as an exhibit in the Darder Museum of Natural History in Banyoles as "Bushman of the Kalahari."

In "Disorientations," Susan Martin-Márquez writes that Alphonse Arcelin was one of the first to publicly express outrage about the taxidermied body in 1991. He also informed the International Olympic Committee of the taxidermied body, and, as a result, the museum was closed during the 1992 Barcelona Games. After almost a decade of protests, the body was finally repatriated.

However, despite evidence that the Sān person was from South Africa, the body was repatriated to Botswana because the South African government didn't ask for repatriation. And as a final insult, all that was returned were the skull and bones, since Spanish museum professionals took it upon themselves to "scrap[e] the skin from the bones," according to "Witnesses to History."

Arsenic started being used in taxidermy as early as the 18th century, and its use continued up until the 1980s. But according to Radford University, arsenic's use as a preservative started as early as the fifth century B.C. when it was "placed in the underside of the skin of an animal to help preserve and protect it from insects."

Jean-Baptiste Bécœur, a French ornithologist, discovered arsenic's potential towards taxidermy in the mid-18th century, and he became known for his arsenical soap, which museums used around the world (via "Conservation of Leather and Related Materials"). Taxidermists also mixed arsenic with things like aloe and cinnamon to make the taxidermied creatures smell better.

Exposure to arsenic can result in arsenic poisoning, and although the use of arsenic in taxidermy has been banned since 1980, gloves must be worn when handling taxidermied creatures made before 1980. And although mercury was also used as a preservative, the Indiana Historical Society writes that it's best to assume that any taxidermy made before 1980 may contain arsenic. In 2009, two staff members at the Museum Victoria required medical attention after working with older taxidermied creatures that were later found to have high levels of arsenic. Thankfully, both workers were fine in the end. The Age writes that the arsenic in the taxidermied creatures only poses a health risk if touched, so despite having hundreds of creatures that "likely still contain arsenic," there's little concern among museums as long as the proper precautions are taken.

Although the Victorian era was called the golden age of taxidermy, taxidermy is seeing a revival in the 21st century. The World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships (WTC) is held every year in the United States in Springfield, Missouri, and in 2015, there were over 1,200 attendees. According to Smithsonian Magazine, taxidermists can also find jobs restoring museum displays or even work on extracting DNA from preserved bodies.

Taxidermied creatures also found fame as unusual and humorous images of taxidermy spread across the internet. Memes like "Stoned Fox" came into existence after Adele Morse created a taxidermied fox with a spaced-out face in 2012. By 2013, "Stoned Fox" was named Meme of the Year. And Stoned Fox isn't the only meme to come out of a taxidermied creature. "Persian Cat Room Guardian," "Depression Dog," and "Sphere Cow" are all memes that are based on a taxidermied creature, according to Know Your Meme.