Taxidermy case with specimens

Object NameTaxidermy case with specimens

Artist / Maker Lucy Parker Field Kimball (American, 1828 - 1923)

Date1870-1880

OriginUSA

MediumNatural history specimens, glass, wood.

Dimensions47 3/4 × 31 × 15 in. (121.3 × 78.7 × 38.1 cm)

ClassificationsFurniture

Credit LineGift of Lucy and Richard Graeme. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number77.50.2

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: Although the practice appears macabre to many modern viewers, taxidermy—the art of preserving and displaying the skins of dead animals—was a popular exhibition of artistic skill and natural aesthetic in the Victorian Era. Taxidermy was one way for a Victorian Although the practice appears macabre to many modern viewers, taxidermy—the art of preserving and displaying the skins of dead animals—was a popular exhibition of artistic skill and natural aesthetic in the Victorian Era. Taxidermy was one way for a Victorian household to highlight its wealth and provide an educational display of local ecology. Surprisingly, Victorian Era taxidermy was an activity largely pursued by women. Lucy B. Kimball created and sold both displays in the Farm House Museum’s collection in the 1870s. According to an 1860 publication of Art Recreations, women completed the entire taxidermy process by ﬁrst removing the entrails and skin of the specimen, then using arsenic as an agent to preserve the skin and ﬁnally using wire and wool to recreate the animal’s shape. The toxicity of arsenic was unrealized at the time and still contributes to one of the contemporary hazards in museum collections. This case consists of specimens of birds and animals from Iowa in the 1870−80s. The specimens are posed by Kimball perched on tree limbs or nestled among mosses at the bottom of the case. The case consists of specimens of birds and animals from Iowa in the 1870-80. The specimens are wired to limbs or are sitting on turf in the bottom of the case. Case specimens include: Flying squirrel, Evening Grosbeak, blue jay, two northern orioles (Baltimore), night hawk, white-winged crossbill, screech owl, rock dove (domestic pigeon), mourning dove, Bobwhite quail, cedar waxwing, gray squirrel, scarlet tanager, yellowthroat, indigo bunting, male and female American redstarts, American woodcock, yellow-bellied sapsucker, chipmunk, male and female ruby-throated hummingbird, Cape May warbler, American bittern, duckling, black duck, green heron, wood duck, mud turtle, solidary sandpiper, juvenile rabbit, tree toad and striped gopher.

MarkingsNone.

Locations