The Velvet Curtain
Look through the glass
Stay for the stories
DORNE LOVEGROVE
Narrative Researcher & Keeper of Stories
As an observer and researcher of the Victorian Natural History Movement and a collector of high quality Victorian Taxidermy I find myself walking along the half‑lit corridors of the nineteenth century, where taxidermists, hunters, naturalists and Victorian gentlemen collectors once walked. They are dim passageways, littered with long‑forgotten stories and adventures of those who believed the natural world could, and should, be conquered and catalogued – if only they could hold it in the palm of their hand.
The stories I bring to the light are sometimes soft‑edged and worn down like time‑tired velvet. Sometimes they are so sharp they catch in the throat. Sometimes they are reluctant to be found – and so they go off at a tangent – but one thing always leads to another.
If you’ve ever paused before a glass case and sensed the breath of a life trapped on the inside, then take a step closer. You belong here.
The story starts with mania
VICTORIAN NATURAL HISTORY MANIA
The Victorians did not love nature any more than earlier generations but they were the first to be able to reach it, afford it and display it.
A ROMANCE WITH NATURAL HISTORY
THE VICTORIANS’ HERITAGE
THE VICTORIANS WALKED ALONG TWO PATHS
BEFORE THE GLASS
The stories start to emerge once we look at the world as it was before wildlife was put behind glass.
A WORLD BUILT ON WONDER
BIRTH OF THE EARLY MENAGERIE, CIRCUS AND ZOO
THE ERA OF COLONIAL EXPLORERS AND NATURALISTS
THE WORLD OF VICTORIAN TAXIDERMY
Original research uncovers the lives, techniques, rivalries, and hidden histories of the people who defined the Victorian Taxidermy Movement.
STORIES AND MASTERPIECES
THE VICTORIAN TAXIDERMISTS INDEX
TAXIDERMY TODAY
Taxidermy is still alive today – its influence is everywhere – in collections, conservation, restoration, and in the contemporary appreciation and enduring influence it has in the world of art, fashion, and interior design.
