Walter Potters Curious World of Taxidermy by Pat Morris

Walter Potters Curious World of Taxidermy Reviews

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  Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell

  
  
  
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  "What are you reading right now?" "Oh, you know, a book about an excellent British guy who collected dead animal corpses and then stuffed them and put them in dioramas."
  
  -A completely normal conversation to have
  
  
  
  I would estimate that about 25% of the books I read are your usual book blogger fare: popular new releases, beloved classics, things that normal people enjoy. These reviews are typically what people know me for, since those are the ones that get the most attention, so I imagine that the people who click that "follow" button are then in for a wicked surprise when they discover the other 75% of what I read: problematic and out of print bodice-rippers from the 1970s and 1980s (to laugh at, but also to enjoy secretly), books with low GR ratings that all my friends hate, adult manga, and nonfiction about taxidermy.
  
  
  
  ABORT FRIENDSHIP! ABORT FRIENDSHIP!
  
  
  
  I found out about this book from karen, who is one of my go-tos for weird books. I really enjoy weird facts about history and the Victorians had weird history down to an art form (literally). When people think Victorian, they probably think corset or pointy-tipped manor, but there was a dark edge to all of that arsenic-gilded finery. The Victorians were death-obsessed, and it wasn't uncommon for them to wear a locket with the hair of a dead loved one around their neck, or, if they were wealthy enough and wished to show off that wealth in all of its morbid splendor, they might have a curiosity cabinet.
  
  
  
  Curiosity cabinets were where a lot of Victorians kept things like tableaux and domes filled with pastoral scenes of nature-- all dead. Dead butterflies in cases, stuffed animals (no, not the cute kind), shells and corals, and perhaps even a skeleton or two. WALTER POTTER'S CURIOUS WORLD OF TAXIDERMY is about a British guy who lived in Victorian times and preserved animal bodies because he was bored, posing them into scenes from folklore and nursery rhymes, or else to display typical events of the times (such as the kitten wedding, the frog park, and the bunny school). Eventually, all these things got put into a museum that lasted for about one hundred years and people would go to this museum and pay money to see all these dead things because ART!
  
  
  
  I really enjoyed this book. It's morbid, but I can be a regular Wednesday Addams at times, despite my pastel-clad appearance and my love of all things romance. The detail and level of artistry that went in to all these scenes truly is incredible, and I loved the tongue-in-cheek tone of the writer, who struck a really nice balance between conversational tone and informative passages. Obviously, as the years went on and people developed a more salient sense of animal cruelty, feelings about the museum shifted towards disgust. The last chapter of the book is about the selling off of the individual displays (once managed by a distant relative of Barbara Cartland!), and some of the more disgusting "freaks" that Walter Potter had, such as supernumerary-legged animals and conjoined twins.
  
  
  
  If you have a sense of the morbid and enjoy weird books about weird shit, I recommend WALTER POTTER'S CURIOUS WORLD OF TAXIDERMY. It's disturbingly fun, and I've reread it multiple times, always picking up on a new detail or tidbit that I somehow missed before.
  
  
  
  4 to 4.5 stars
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  Barb

  I enjoyed reading about Walter Potter's work and I loved looking at the photos of his taxidermy vignettes. The animals are charming and sweet and remind me of my collection of little toy mice I had as a child, they were made from cowhide and flocked with rabbit fur. I loved those mice, I still have them.
  
  I would have loved looking at these displays as a child, though both of my children found the book's photos disturbing and creepy. I found them charming and whimsical and sweet. When I explained to my son that Walter Potter was a taxidermist and what a taxidermist did, I was reminded of the time we traveled through Cleveland and stopped at the Museum of Natural History on our way to Chicago. We'd been in the car for hours and my son was still little, around 7 years old. The first room we went into after arriving at the museum was filled with tons of beautiful animals. Of course they were all dead and when he saw that all the beautiful animals were dead, he burst into tears. A sensitive animal lover might not appreciate the unique beauty of Potter's collection.
  
  I tried hard not to think about where all of Potter's little kittens and bunnies came from. But it's clear that Walter Potter loved creating these vignettes. The Death of Cock Robin took him seven years to complete and features close to one hundred birds, with thirteen of the fourteen verses of the poem that inspired him, portrayed.
  
  I especially loved the close-up photos showing the details within the tableaux and wished there had been more of them. I thought it interesting that at one point the collection found its way to Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall with a collection of Daphne du Maurier memorabilia.
  
  
  
  
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  Elizabeth Bevins

  I loved this morbid look at a little Victorian whimsy. Walter Potter was a British country taxidermist who created his own museum filled with anthropomorphic displays of his creations. It is an adult picture book that will feed your morbid curiosity.
  
  Thanks to Blue Rider Press for sending me a complimentary copy.
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  Soubhi

  It’s a pity this collection has been sold and spread far and wide. I found this book to be interesting and educational. The pictures are fascinating. I’m glad to have this book as part of my collection.
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  Christiane

  Fascinating and disturbing tableaux of animals (kittens, rabbits, birds, squirrels) engaged in typical Victorian activities such as playing cards, enjoying a game of croquet, getting married, holding a funeral, etc. Walter Potter, the creator of these worlds, was a British country taxidermist whose popular museum in Bramber, Sussex charmed visitors for almost 150 years. I am torn between how interesting it is to study these tableaux, and how upsetting it is to stop and realize these are actual baby rabbits and kittens! (Though, at this point, over a hundred years old.) Regrettably, the museum was sold and the collection auctioned off in 2003. The author of this book is definitely upset by this, scolding the Victoria and Albert museum (and other museums) for refusing to save the Potter collection: “…the whole point of museums and art galleries is to preserve examples that typify their times, not to attempt a retrospective censorship of things that have become unfashionable.” This book reminded me of the equally morbid “The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death” by Corinne Botz which showcased the dollhouse crime scenes of Frances Glessner Lee.
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  Kelly

  You learn interesting things when you work in a library.
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  MKF

  I really wished this book was longer with more of Potter's curiosities and tableaus.
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  Castle Spooktacular

  Fascinating! Mostly whimsical and sometimes creepy. This was a cool find!
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  slauderdale

  Less reviewed than it is discussed in my blog post, "Adventures in Morbid Non-fiction":
  https://librarianslauderdale.wordpres...
  
  Beyond the fascinating photographs and commentaries on Potter’s various dioramas of taxidermied cats, bunnies, toads and so on in “cute” Victorian scenarios, this is a lament for the loss of a unique collection, which was broken up in auction some years ago and can no longer all be seen in one place. ...
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  Liz

  A coffee table book, it turns out, is exactly how much information I wanted about a strange (to modern readers) corner of Victorian life: anthropomorphic taxidermy. Great pictures, a bit about Walter Potter and his copycats (including some good shade-throwing about who originated the famous "Death and Burial of Cock Robin" tableau), and some history of his popular museum.
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  Lisa

  Bizarre. coincidentally timed well with viewing the final episode of Season 3 of Victoria on PBS where Potter's inspiration in the form of the 1851 Great Exhibition in Britain offered a tiny glimpse of work by Hermann Ploucquet's tableaux. I actually can't bear to look at this too closely for fear that tiny kittens and squirrels will haunt my dreams.
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  TriCedratops

  Adorable yet kind of sad
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  Dale

  This book... can't begin to describe it other than Walter Potter was f***ing off in the head. But I can't stop examining each picture.
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  Ally

  I found this book extremely interesting and really enjoyed all the images provided.
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  Tommy

  That cover, with the schoolhouse bunnies working so studiously! I admit that at first I judged this book awesome by its cover alone, and happily the interior did not disappoint. Society squirrels, lower class rats, a kitten wedding, guinea pig croquet, a monkey riding a goat... it's like a fairy tale nightmare. In a good way. I recognized some of the tableaux included in this collection from old journals I rescued from a library, but never knew anything about the creator. It was fascinating to read an overview of Walter Potter's life in Victorian England, and how the museum was started, and what ultimately happened to it. What a shame that so many of the pieces and tableaux have gone to various points of the compass, probably never again to be united under one roof. The fantastical, whimsical taxidermy scenes are entertaining enough on their own--and there are plenty of great photos and close-ups in this book--but it's even more interesting when you learn the context and behind-the-scenes drama. Walter Potter himself seems like he was a quiet, humble man, with a peculiar hobby. But there have been complaints and naysayers over the years, accusing him of animal cruelty, and the lesser crime of being a working class novice at taxidermy, unworthy of the attention he was getting. It's frustrating and sad to read about the frequent mishandling of the collection after Potter's death, despite the efforts of some people over the years to preserve it and give it the respect it deserves as a Victorian time piece. The author (an authority on taxidermy) is passionate yet concise, and this very accessible book seems like a triumph in its own way, to preserve the spirit of Potter's original museum in book form. I think it's also inspirational to DIY artists, because of the fact that Potter was not necessarily the best taxidermist, per se, and sometimes did things roughly, yet managed to convey so much personality and artistic vision, and above all to amuse and surprise people. If he were working today, he would probably be as big in the alternative art scene as Mark Ryden, Liz McGrath, etc.
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  Jen Potter

  An interesting look at Victorian era taxidermy in England. Full disclosure, I've been called morbid on more than one occasion by various people, so the fact that I liked this book should shock no one who knows me well.
  
  Some of the tableaux appealed to me more than others, which may have something to do with the manipulation of the animal. The prime example is The Kittens' Wedding, in which the kittens are fully dressed in Victorian wedding attire and have "teddy bear" eyes, with circular pupils instead of narrow slits. Likewise, the rats in The Lower Five "appear to have had their faces flattened, for a more human expression, with eyes facing more forward than out to the sides."
  
  I am, however, thoroughly charmed by Rabbits' Village School, The Upper Ten, and A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed, as well as any tableau with a sizable bird population. In Rabbits' Village School forty-eight baby rabbits engage in writing, sums, music, and handcrafts. What's not to love about a wee rabbit darning a sock? While the rabbits have been posed in an anthropomorphic manner, their eyes and their faces remain rabbit like. As do the rat faces in A Friend in Need.
  
  The Kittens' Wedding will be on display at the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn from 1 September - 6 November 2016. While I tend more towards the "natural" end of taxidermy, I have every intention of seeing Mr. Potter's work for myself.
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  Azabu

  Biologist Pat Morris and Joanna Ebenstein, Morbid Anatomy blogger, deliver an engaging if macabre catalog of the oeuvre of Walter Potter (1835-1918), Victorian master of the art of taxidermy. Slightly older than Beatrix (but no relation) Potter taught himself to preserve lifeless animals at a young age, posing them in dioramas for his sister’s amusement. His best known piece, “Death & Burial of Cock Robin”, features close to 100 stuffed birds. A celebrity in his lifetime when the art form enjoyed peak popularity, visitors flocked to his village in West Sussex where his ‘tableaux’ were on display at the Bramber Museum. The catalog focuses on the process of preservation with details on how to skin toads. Like embalmed Beanie Babies, he arranged squirrels and rats in scenarios that shed light on everyday life in Dickensian England. Recently Bonham’s auctioned off the contents of the museum to collectors around the world. Soft-hearted readers may be relieved to find that most of the animals died of natural causes or, at any rate, were not destined to live long.
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  Karlene

  I saw the title of this book in the new releases, and thought it would be funny and kind of weird. It was both of these things. Victorian anthropomorphic taxidermy was not a thing that I knew existed, and this book gave a great history of Walter Potter, a taxidermist who nailed it back in the late 1800s. I was both amused and slightly horrified throughout this book's entirety.
  
  Water Potter's work featured in this book consisted of 'tableaux' that he would create often based from a book of fairy tales his sister had. It mentioned there was one mechanical tableau that he created (frogs), and the thought of that had me on the horrified side. But still, this man took years of his leisure time creating these 'works of art' that were immortalized in many museums, the whole thing was pretty interesting.
  
  I don't think taxidermy is ever really going to make a comeback in society 2014 and beyond, but it's crazy to think of the things people used to do to entertain themselves before the internet.
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  Eve

  In the afterword of The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse, she writes that she became fascinated with taxidermy when she had visited as a child a strange little museum in Bramber, Sussex, which featured anthropomorphic tableaus of stuffed animals. A quick Google search and I too became curious about Walter Potter’s museum, which alas, is no longer. The entire collection has been auctioned off to separate buyers, unlikely ever to be shown together again – were it not for this book.
  
  The book offers close-up photos from multiple angles and background details of these bizarre and amazing tableaus, some of which are out of Victorian nursery rhymes and stories, others just scenes from Potter’s imagination. They range from cute to bizarre. Clearly, Potter lavished many hours of painstaking detail on these works. Of note, however, is the fact that some of the animals used died of natural causes – but others, especially those using many kittens and rabbits probably did not.
  
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  Frederic

  This book is probably about as close as anyone can get anymore to the Victorian taxidermy museum of Walter Potter, which was broken up and sold at auction in 2003. Several tableaux, purchased then by Peter Blake, are discussed and shown here in numerous, very good photographs, along with a nice history of Walter Potter, his taxidermy and museum. As a curator myself I find it hard to believe or understand that this unique historical collections was allowed to be dispersed, but at least we have a pretty good if partial record in this book.
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  Q

  Fantastic. Filled with pictures of Potter's adorable/creepy taxidermy work. Not for those are easily disturbed. There's nothing horrible or shocking - these are works from a time period when it was fashionable as a hobby - but not every animal turned out, well . . . pretty. Still, a great look into an art form, and interesting tidbits as well. If you've ever watched the American version of Dinner for Schmucks, and liked the little scenes with the taxidermy mice tableaux - then you should enjoy this as well.
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  Jennifer

  Weird. And creepy cute. Or cute creepy? Oh, the Victorians were so odd, and so wonderfully morbid about the natural world. This book about the collection of taxidermized animals displayed by Walter Potter, who taught himself how to preserve pets and the local wildlife, is beautiful and descriptive of the tableaux left intact. Did you know the best way to skin a frog is inside out? I know that now. I didn't want to know that but I can't forget it!
  
  Read it: people who enjoy odd little corner shops and wacky museums. And dolls. Definitely doll collectors.
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  Nancy

  Fun to read about, to understand Potter's world, techniques, creations. A kitten with eight legs and two tails. Four legged fowl. A friend in need . . . rats trying to free one of their own from a trap; a classroom of 48 little bunnies busily at work with math, darning, penmanship; the kittens' wedding (at Brooklyn's Morbid Anatomy Museum as I write). He was an interesting man, and there was support for his art at the time, luckily for us. Highly recommended it for those into taxidermy and interesting Victorian stuff.
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  James Kinsley

  It's the mixture of the whimsical and the barbaric that makes this so fascinating. Obviously, at the time nobody saw anything wrong with Walter Potter's displays of animal tableaux, but to modern eyes it can look freakish and macabre. Still, the book gives a concise account of the history of the collection, and the images are extensive and exquisitely reproduced. As an insight into Victorian eccentricity, this is a wonderful, if somewhat grotesque, book.
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  Jim

  This delightful book will not be for everyone (outside of the Bloggess, who will likely have multiple copies), because some will find it a tad creepy, but I loved it, especially the views of Potter's rabbit school. It is amazing how well preserved the displays are, and a bit sad that the collection was split up.
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  E.

  After reading about the Potter collection and not being able to find good, clear pictures, this book is a blessing to those with a morbid curiosity regarding Victorian taxidermy.
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  Becca

  Gross. But interesting.