Van Ingen - Most Famous Taxidermists in the World
The Van Ingen brothers of Mysore were once the most famous taxidermists in the world. A dynasty that came to define the visual culture of India’s shikar era.
Their firm, Van Ingen & Van Ingen, operated from the 1890s until 1999 and produced more than 43,000 tiger and leopard mounts, supplying Indian maharajas, British officers, and European aristocrats.
VIDEO – A Family Empire Built in the Age of Shikar
A film by Nick Gifford documenting the daily activities of his uncles and their employees who ran a family taxidermy business in India.
“…an unforgettable documentary portrait of curious lives from the days of the Raj.”
TIME OUT
The business was founded by Eugene Van Ingen, who married into a family connected to the Maharaja of Jaipur’s stables. His three sons – DeWet, Botha, and Joubert – transformed the workshop in Mysore into a global powerhouse of taxidermy.
By the 1930s, the factory was processing over 400 tigers a year, a staggering figure that reflected both the demand for trophies and the devastating scale of big‑game hunting in India.
Craftsmanship and Signature Style
Van Ingen mounts were renowned for their lifelike detail:
- Hand‑painted German glass eyes
- Custom moulds and mannikins for consistent poses
- The iconic “snarling” tiger head, created using specially grooved nose moulds
Their work ranged from full mounts to rugs and head trophies, each finished with meticulous precision.
Joubert Van Ingen: The Last of the Line
The youngest brother, Edwin Joubert Van Ingen, lived an extraordinary life – born in Mysore in 1912, a WWII veteran, and later the steward of the family legacy. He continued the business until its closure in the late 1990s and lived to nearly 101. His private collection of more than 70 trophies, complete with detailed notes, remains a window into a bygone era. The Week
A Complicated Legacy
Today, the Van Ingen name evokes both admiration for craftsmanship and reflection on the ecological cost of the trophy‑hunting era. Their mounts are displayed in museums worldwide, reminders of a time when India’s wildlife was plundered at industrial scale – a reality that helped spur modern conservation efforts like Project Tiger.
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This article is part of the Victorian Taxidermists section. Explore more research here →
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