The Velvet Curtain
DORNE LOVEGROVE
Narrative Researcher & Keeper of Stories
I like to walk along the half‑lit corridors of the nineteenth century, where taxidermists, hunters, naturalists and Victorian gentlemen collectors once moved with quiet intent.
These dim passageways are littered with long‑forgotten stories 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 find are sometimes soft‑edged and worn down like time‑tired velvet. Sometimes they are so sharp they catch in the throat.
If you’ve ever paused before a glass case and felt the breath of a life trapped on the inside, then step closer. You belong here.
Look through the glass
Stay for the stories
BEFORE THE GLASS
The stories at The Velvet Drawing Room begin with the world as it was before animals were put behind glass.
A WORLD BUILT ON WONDER
BIRTH OF THE EARLY MENAGERIE, CIRCUS AND ZOO
THE ERA OF COLONIAL EXPLORERS AND NATURALISTS
VICTORIAN TAXIDERMY
Original research uncovers the lives, techniques, rivalries, and hidden histories of the people who defined Victorian taxidermy.
STORIES AND MASTERPIECES
THE VICTORIAN TAXIDERMISTS INDEX
TAXIDERMY TODAY
Taxidermy is still alive today – in collections, conservation, restoration, and in the contemporary appreciation and enduring influence it has in the world of art, fashion, and interior design.
