The Art & Heritage
Enter The Velvet Drawing Room
Look through the glass
Stay for the stories
Victorian taxidermy is about far more than dead animals in glass cases.
It helps us understand the scientific curiosity of the Victorians and their artistic ambition in the colonial landscape of 19th‑century Britain.
The Velvet Drawing Room looks behind the glass to explore what the Victorian taxidermists preserved and why. It’s about the Victorian obsession for collecting and sheds light on the stories of the pioneers who shaped this remarkable era
Whether you’re interested in Victorian history, researching the work of Victorian taxidermists, deciding what to collect, or looking for inspiration for your home decor, this is a place to wander, learn, and be inspired.
The world of Victorian taxidermy was shaped by curiosity, craftsmanship, and a new desire to see and understand — and then preserve and display — the natural world.
To explore this rich, complex and sometimes misunderstood history, The Velvet Drawing Room is organised into three key areas.
THE VICTORIAN WORLD
The story begins with the world that the Victorians inherited and then developed, and focuses on the naturalists, explorers, and the early impresarios that defined the era.
THE VICTORIAN TAXIDERMIST
Read about the styles and the personal stories of the leading taxidermists of the Victorian era. Creatures were brought back to life by the Victorian Taxidermist and their enduring works are still of great interest to collectors today.
TAXIDERMY TODAY
Finally, see how taxidermy has experienced a revival and how it continues to influence our contemporary world. Wherever you choose to begin, you’ll find stories, insights, and inspiration waiting for you
The Culture, Curiosity, and Collecting Habits of 19th‑Century Britain
From the private Wunderkammers and Cabinets of Curiosities of the 1600s to the immense attractions of the World Expos of the 1800s and the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Victorian world was built on wonder.
Here you’ll explore the earliest menageries, the birth of the modern zoo and the circus, and the indelible influence of Audubon, Darwin, and Gould. Follow the journeys of colonial explorers and hunters as they travelled the globe in sailing ships, and step inside the Victorian country houses of the gentlemen collectors who shaped the era’s tastes.
Featuring
* Jamrach, Bostock & Wombwell, & Stephen Polito
* Cabinets of Curiosities
* Victorian Naturalists & Explorers
* Menagerie, Zoo & Circus
* The Gentlemen Collectors
* Rothschild
* Vauncey Harpur-Crewe & Calke Abbey
Behind the Glass
The Makers and Their Masterpieces
Taxidermy is more than art. Behind every Victorian mount lies a story. In truth, it holds two stories: one of how the animal came to be behind the glass, and another of the maker whose hands shaped it. Many of those makers’ stories have never been heard before.
Here you can discover the leading Victorian taxidermy firms who forged new movements and sparked extraordinary crazes.
Explore the gorgeous hand‑blown glass domes, the distinctive styles of individual makers’ cases, and the taxidermists’ labels — small works of art in their own right.
Featuring
* Rowland Ward, London
* Peter Spicer of Leamington
* Walter Burton of Wardour St
* James Gardner of Oxford St
* Edward Gerrard Camden Town
* Henry Murray of Carnforth
* The Burtons of Wardour Street
The Modern Revival and Enduring Influence of Victorian Craftsmanship
After taxidermy’s divorce from social fashion in the mid‑1900s, we’ve fallen in love with it again. Victorian taxidermy now inspires collectors, artists, museums, and conservators around the world.
The fashion world has embraced it — from Alexander McQueen to Schiaparelli and Dior. Interior designers have too, drawn to its high‑class, dramatic presence and its ability to transform a room. Luxury websites now serve as the shop windows for the limited number of surviving Victorian cases, while auction houses are alive with global bidders chasing the ultimate find.
Featuring
* How to find and buy taxidermy
* Auction highlights
* Contemporary artists
* Taxidermy on the catwalk
* Animal Replicas
