jl ( :.V "■ y Pi! . a ■ V V, yv"‘3 A 'Av; • .% ‘ Vr m-' .. lit: . . f v P -P 4 * <" 1 ffe. % 3 v,,.; >33 ' 33 A . ■ A P-a.p >:«■.** . • ;AA, Y>A3::. ■■*'"■%■ ; I1.: "■ i ■ ■■:■'■ ■■■ 3 3A: i: -3" : s 3:333. ' :,f. V A. - 1 . ' ■ r 33 , 3 . ,-4Sr : • A -. lir;- 3.; 333333^3 'J'% * - , ■ 3 *. "aa-aa ERMf AND SCULPTURE ^ ._z_3 THE WORK- OP K.tfMfr. . /r^ft T% T* TTi ■ rr -n r - 3- '33,;3 3. fitRL E, AKELEY A k 3 I;N .. - . . ■ HELD MUSEUM > . v ' v v 6 F . - V . &C: ' ' P 'f, *• ‘ A f r ’T'-S * :.T^V;?F‘ :r rr /•*. •**-< /^\ T-.. » *■ MSI 3- •; 3 . A •: ... r URAL "Hi STORY. " ' - 3 ' • . ,.uu.,rn ' 1 ■ L O 3-3>x. vX : & ■ ■■i t-1 ' i ■ - :: 3m33k?3m' m *m. m ‘3 3 E'li- ■ t s 33 1 ps, ; e ■■. . 3£: '% 3 ■ ; ..3;. ;:33 . ■ I* ■ ■■: ’ - E :■ ; ^ t ■ A ‘ ■: <'tS t . ,3 3»: %?.3. ■ - : ‘ -k ; ■ :3p3 V-': ■ 33 ■ -/■ ' ■ • . ... ■ 3, ^ ' , ..^33-0;--.-.o3'. . | l|31s: E.A. :v/ pf"/i fT|. ■L . 3'-: SH r.: 3 :'33’3M • fH3, Vv; ‘ ■ ’"V ■ ',;-3" '3 ■'■■3:"; : 3.' 3(r3i 3^ ||3 . 3?, : 1 3. A'/: l % 3aA;a . :3r*.3: 3| g;v 'A- 303y .". . . /,:. . . • • '■„ - ' 3 v ■"■’33 *;.» s-,;' .. :v3 r a:- AiiA-W- ;33-- 3: i :33iA33 ■MWM3- ,A: tS3333 3' A. 33: '::V3;a a;3A ■ A :. ■". AA'3tA-<;33 '■ AAA : :?V- ■, A' : : : '■ :AA* ■'■A. • ■ 3i;3:, 3- ;33A A.'3;3’,:; A : A A m ‘ 1 AAA"" - ' -A A : AAAAA .A ■ 3-- 3 '• .'V ■ ■ 333:3'3 ;A ■; A ' ,? 3 A: : . -A: AAA: J ‘ . I, . . ■■■■■ ‘ ^ fmi M ■ ■ :A A't:AV'V '"3, ■ 3 1 3$3l A ■' A333' : ^;3;.AA ■■ A A-Afe iv 3 N. * Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 with funding from BHL-SIL-FEDLINK https://archive.org/details/taxidermysculpturefmn1927 A U °o\(e'l THE WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY IN FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY In 1896, shortly after Field Museum opened its doors, Carl E. Akeley, then practically unknown, was employed as its chief taxidermist. A fortunate com- bination was thus effected between a young institution with large needs and a young man of genius and power full of enthusiasm to carry them out. His talent was quickly recognized and with the necessary freedom from petty supervision and sufficient financial support he began to produce results which attracted world- wide attention. For fourteen years, thereafter, from 1896 to 1909, Akeley was practically undisturbed and concentrated on the production of museum pieces for Field Museum. Although his later life was one of great activity and with far reaching results, it was more varied and not so continuously devoted to concrete production, so the major part of his own handiwork, especially in taxidermy, is found in the output of these fourteen years. The quality of Akeley’s work rests not only upon his talent as an artist and modeler, but upon a rare combination of ability as a naturalist, an inventor, sculptor, and practical workman. By utilizing the methods of the sculptor, in connection with ingenious devices of his own invention, he revolutionized taxi- dermy and raised it to the level of a high art. First of all, he knew and loved his animals and, to a large extent, his existing work is based upon specimens collected in the field by himself. This enabled him to attain a high degree of fidelity to nature and to bring his genius to bear upon those subtleties of feeling and ex- pression which make his works vibrate with life and individuality. By his methods, any well trained workman could produce a result that was coldly correct, but Akeley went far beyond this. While his efforts in the exercise of his own talented hand continued until the last, this, to him, was somewhat sec- ondary and by way of demonstration of the possibilities in his beloved field of work. His deepest, dearest hope was to give a dignity and fineness to taxidermy which should lead men of great genius to be attracted to it. The accompanying collection of photogravures is a nearly complete represent- ation of Akeley’s work as it now exists in Field Museum. The group of African Buffalo was done under special contract and acquired by the Museum in 1914. The bronze lion spearing groups, of which there are two sets, one in the American Museum of New York and one in Field Museum, were finished in 1926 and pre- sented to the Museum by Mr. Richard T. Crane, Jr. The smaller bronzes, “The Wounded Comrade,” “The Charging Herd,” “Stung,” and others, also were done in Akeley’s later years and mainly under his own auspices. These have been presented to Field Museum by its President, Mr. Stanley Field, and serve to render its collection of his work more comprehensive. A few other copies of these well known subjects exist in private hands or in other museums. With these exceptions, the work here shown photographically belongs to the period 1894 to 1909. The portrait of Mr. Akeley was taken in Field Museum, January 26, 1926, shortly before he departed on his last trip to Africa. Wilfred H. Osgood, Curator of Zoology November, 1927 LIST OF SUBJECTS NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS Virginia Deer. Odocoileus virginianus borealis Miller. Eastern United States. Four groups of four animals each. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. Stone’s Mountain Sheep. Ovis dalli stonei Allen. Northern British Columbia. Group of six animals. Muskox. Ovibos moschatus niphoecus Elliot. Hudson Bay Region. Group of seven animals. Polar Bear. Thalarctos maritimus Phipps. Arctic Region. Group of four animals. AFRICAN MAMMALS African Elephant. Loxodonta africana peeli Lydekker. Kenya Colony, Africa. Group of two animals. Somali Wild Ass. Equus asinus somaliensis Noack. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of four animals. Grevy’s Zebra. Equus grevyi Oustalet. Somaliland and Abyssinia, Africa. Two animals, male and female. Mountain Zebra. Equus zebra Linnaeus. South Africa. Single animal. Selous Zebra. Equus quagga selousi Pocock. Mashonaland, Africa. Single animal. Transvaal Zebra. Equus quagga transvaalensis Ewart. South Africa. Group of six animals. Greater Koodoo. Strepsiceros strepsiceros Pallas. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of four animals. Lesser Koodoo. Strepsiceros imberbis Blyth. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of six animals. Sable Antelope. Egocerus niger Harris. Mashonaland, Africa. Two animals, male and female. Roan Antelope. Egocerus equinus Geoffroy. Mashonaland, Africa. Single animal. Beisa Antelope. Oryx beisa Riippell. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of five animals. Soemmerring’s Gazelle. Gazella soemmerringi berberana Matschie. British Somali- land, Africa. Single animal. Gerenuk. Lithocranius walleri Brooke. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of six animals. Clarke’s Gazelle. Ammodorcas clarkei Thomas. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of six animals. Waterbuck. Kobus ellipsiprymnus Ogilby. Mashonaland, Africa. Single animal. White-bearded Gnu. Connochaetes albojubatus Thomas. Kilimanjaro District, Africa. Single animal. Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest. Alcelaphus lichtensteini Peters. Mashonaland, Africa. Single animal. Swayne’s Hartebeest. Alcelaphus tora swaynei Sclater. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of seven animals. Coke’s Hartebeest. Alcelaphus cokei Gunther. Kenya Colony, Africa. Single animal. Sassaby. Damaliscus lunatus Burchell. South Africa. Single animal. Bontebok. Damaliscus pygargus Pallas. South Africa. Two animals, male and female. Blesbok. Damaliscus albifrons Burchell. Orange Free State, Africa. Single animal. African Buffalo. Syncerus caffer radcliffei Thomas. Kenya Colony, Africa. Group of five animals. Warthog. Phacochoerus aethiopicus delamerei Lonnberg. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of six animals. Cheetah. Acinonyx jubatus raineyi Heller. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of seven animals. Spotted Hyena. Crocuta crocuta leontiewi Satunin. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of three animals. Striped Hyaena. Hyaena hyaena dubia Schinz. British Somaliland, Africa. Group of four animals. EAST INDIAN MAMMALS Proboscis Monkey. Nasalis larvatus Wurmb. Borneo, East Indies. Group of seven animals. BRONZE STATUARY Lion Spearing in Africa. Three groups in life size. Group I. The charge. Lion and lioness charging hunters. Group II. The attack. Nandi spearmen meeting charge of lions. Group III. The requiem. Spearmen chanting over body of dead lion. The Wounded Comrade. African Elephants supporting a wounded tusker in retreat from danger. The Charging Herd. A massed herd of elephants advancing in full charge. Stung. Small bull elephant harried by a serpent. Going. Small elephant in rapid gait. Lion and Buffalo. African lion attacking buffalo. A tragedy of the veldt. The Old Man of Mikeno. Heroic bust of old male mountain gorilla from the gorilla sanctuary in Belgian Congo. FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CARL E. AKELEY 1864-1926 WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKElEY AUTUMN GROUP EASTERN UNITED STATES FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY STONE’S MOUNTAIN SHEEP NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Q KENYA COLONY, AFRICA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY GREVY’S ZEBRA MALE LAKE RUDOLPH, AFRICA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY GREVY'S ZEBRA FEMALE SOMALILAND, AFRICA . FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY SELOUS ZEBRA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY TRANSVAAL ZEBRA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKElEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY SABLE ANTELOPE female MASHONALAND, AFRICA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY ROAN ANTELOPE FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY SOEMMERRING'S GAZELLE ■ FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AkELEY WALLER'S GAZELLE OR GERENUK SOMALILAND, AFRICA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AaELEY WATERBUCK KILIMANJARO DISTRICT, AFRICA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY KENYA COLONY. AFRICA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEV FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY BONTEBOK MALE SOUTH AFRICA ft#* FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. akELEY BLESBOK KENYA COLONY, AFRICA FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AkELEY WARTHOG CHEETAH OR HUNTING LEOPARD SOMALILAND, AFRICA SOMALILAND, AFRICA BRITISH SOMALILAND, AFRICA WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY PROBOSCIS MONKEY BORNEO, EAST INDIES \ LION SPEARING IN AFRICA BRONZE GROUP NO. I FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY LION SPEARING IN AFRICA LION SPEARING IN AFRICA BRONZE GROUP NO. Ill BRONZE GROUP OF AFRICAN ELEPHANTS BRONZE GROUP OF AFRICAN ELEPHANTS FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY STUNG BRONZE FIGURE OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY LION AND BUFFALO BRONZE BUST OF MOUNTAIN GORILLA