The Afterlives of Animals

In the quiet halls of the natural history museum, there are somecreatures still alive with stories, whose personalities refuse to be relegated tothe dusty corners of an exhibit. The fame of these beasts during their lifetimes hasgiven them an iconic status in death. More than just museum specimens, [...]
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In the quiet halls of the natural history museum, there are somecreatures still alive with stories, whose personalities refuse to be relegated tothe dusty corners of an exhibit. The fame of these beasts during their lifetimes hasgiven them an iconic status in death. More than just museum specimens, these animalshave attained a second life as historical and cultural records. This collection ofessays--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 thelife, death, and museum "afterlife" of a specific creature, illuminating the overlooked role of the dead beast in the modern human-animalencounter through practices as disparate as hunting and zookeeping. The contributorsoffer fresh examinations of the many levels at which humans engage with otheranimals, especially those that function as both natural and cultural phenomena, including Queen Charlotte's pet zebra, Maharajah the elephant, and Balto the sleddog, among others. Readers curious about the enduring fascination with animals whohave attained these strange afterlives will be drawn to the individual narrativeswithin each essay, while learning more about the scientific, cultural, andmuseological contexts of each subject. Ranging from autobiographical to analytical, the contributors' varying styles make this delightful book a truemenagerie. Contributors
SamuelJ. M. M. Alberti, Royal College of Surgeons * Sophie Everest, University ofManchester * Kate Foster * Michelle Henning, University of the West of England, Bristol * Hayden Lorimer, University of Glasgow * Garry Marvin, RoehamptonUniversity, London * Henry Nicholls * Hannah Paddon * Merle Patchett * ChristopherPlumb, University of Manchester * Rachel Poliquin * Jeanne Robinson, Glasgow Museums* Mike Rutherford, University of the West Indies * Richard C. Sabin, Natural HistoryMuseum * Richard Sutcliffe, Glasgow Museums * Geoffrey N. Swinney, University ofEdinburgh