THE VELVET DRAWING ROOM

A well-furnished Victorian Drawing Room typically had displays of imported hummingbirds under glass domes and countryside creatures like fox and otter in glass cases. These displays conferred taste on their owners who were mimicking the style of the upper classes who had filled their large country houses with the spoils of hunts from home and abroad.

Taxidermy collecting and the appreciation of natural history was at its peak in Victorian Britain from the 1850’s and then right through to the First World War. During this period of colonialism and exploration,  the discovery of some of the rarest, most exquisite and exotic examples of naturalia were brought back from foreign expeditions. These expeditions were undertaken by some of the leading pioneers of the day. Some of them were financed and commissioned by obsessive and egotistical members of the British gentry, while the likes of Darwin, Gould and Audubon created a new landscape of learning and enlightenment.

The trophies of these 19th century expeditions were brought or sent back to Britain and were put into the private collections of Gentlemen and Royalty. If the journey across the world didn’t kill them, some of these animals were sent to menageries and zoos. Post-mortem, they were also displayed at international expos to represent the powerful force of Britain’s push into foreign lands.