Tag Archives for collections

From Dioramas to The Red List: Conserving Felbrigg Hall’s Taxidermy Birds for a New Conservation Story.

Written by Louise Green, Project Manager and Collections & House Manager, Felbrigg Hall, National Trust, and Martha Infray, Regional Conservator, National Trust.

Introduction

The Bird Corridor at Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk, houses a nationally significant natural history collection. Consisting of taxidermy bird dioramas collected by Thomas Wyndham Cremer (1834-1894), the displays document many of the resident and migratory bird species historically found in East Anglia.

Created by renowned nineteenth-century taxidermists Gunn of Norwich and Pratt of Brighton, the dioramas are a first-hand resource documenting the ornithological scene in East Anglia during the 19th-century.

Following the successful completion of the first Phase of conservation treatment in 2025, the second and final phase is nearing completion, with only two weeks of treatment remaining this autumn.

Historic label by Thomas Gunn, attached to the back of a diorama © National Trust/ Rob Coleman

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Beyond the Scientific Record: Using Photography to Inspire Curiosity about Natural History Collections

Photo essay, written and produced by Molly Wilders, Photographer, mollywilders.com.

While museum collections on display are designed to be viewed and understood by the public, collection storerooms primarily exist to support research. Museum professionals spend their lives studying and caring for specimens but few outsiders truly understand what that work looks like.

As a photographer with a background in biology, my projects often focus on documenting the work of researchers in laboratories and the field. In 2022 I reached out to Ashleigh Whiffin, Curator of Entomology at National Museums Scotland, to collaborate on a photography project focusing on her work and the collections she oversees.

The digitisation of museum collections has become increasingly important, with high-quality images supporting research and education, allowing collections to reach audiences without geographical barriers. However, while digitised specimens are invaluable scientific resources, they have a limited ability to inspire awe in the average viewer.

Our first experiences of nature are usually emotional, with feelings coming before facts. Yet it can be difficult to connect with a specimen viewed only as scientific data. My work as a photographer is to make the viewer feel something about these collections and the people who care for them. If an image then inspires someone to ask questions about a specimen, collection or curator, then my job is complete.

Huge thanks to Ashleigh for being so generous with her time. It’s been a delight to make these photographs with her and to see her use them in her own science communication work.

Slide tray holding holotype and paratype specimens on slides. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh showing the way slide trays are stored. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh using a step ladder to look in drawers in the top shelves. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh looking through shelves of entomology collections. Image credit: Molly Wilders
A pinned jewel scarab beetle. Image credit: Molly Wilders
A pinned beetle being held by tweezers to show its various data labels. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh reviewing Coleoptera specimens under a microscope. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh sat at a microscope in the Entomology department of the NMS Collections Centre. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh looking at a beetle under the microscope. Image credit: Molly Wilders
A close up of a specimen under review. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Drawer of ex-display specimens. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Drawer of Endromis versicolora specimens from Aviemore. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh showing a comparison of a faded and non-faded death’s-head hawkmoth. Image credit: Molly Wilders

Impala Trophy Head – A Conservation Treatment Summary

Written by Greta Kelly, Conservation Practice MSc Student at Cardiff University.

During my studies on the Conservation Practice MSc at Cardiff University I had the opportunity to do a placement with the natural science conservation department at Museums NI. As part of this I assisted in an ongoing project to conserve and stabilise a number of trophy heads in the museums stores. The trophy head that I worked on was an impala skull, mounted on a wooden shield, dated to the 1930s.

Before beginning any conservation, I carried out a condition assessment of the skull and shield, to determine what treatment would be needed. The skull was generally in good condition, with no identifiable breakages or loss. The teeth while still in their sockets, were loose, and there was slight delamination at the base of the right horn. There was extensive surface dirt on the teeth, horns and skull, including inside the skull.

Before cleaning images of the impala skull. Image credit: Greta Kelly

The wooden shield was in good condition, with just some surface dirt. However the two metal hooks which looped through the zygomatic arches to hold the skull in place, were not providing sufficient support, allowing the skull to move about on the shield and putting it at risk of damage.

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Collaborating with External Partners to address Colonial Legacies and Challenge the Secondary School Curriculum in Liverpool.

Written by Olivia Beavers, National Museums Liverpool, World Museum & Sonal Mistry, Freelance Scientific Illustrator.

Just over a year ago, Sonal approached me with a request to access the vertebrate zoology collection for her Master’s thesis, which explored scientific illustration through natural science specimens. Collaborating with Sonal has helped the vertebrate zoology department to address colonial legacies and provide more context to the collections through thoughtful scientific illustration.

Olivia – World Museum

World Museum’s vertebrate zoology collection has a historic relationship between artists and specimens. Edward Lear and John Gould were just two of many illustrators who sketched and painted specimens within the 13th Earl of Derby’s zoology collection.

With so many specimens stored behind the scenes and many untold stories of collectors and colonial legacies to be explored, curators are often considering new ways to get this information across to the public. Sonal contacted the museum as a Masters illustration student asking to collaborate with the vertebrate zoology department for her thesis. I supervised Sonal’s Master’s illustration thesis project, where she produced scientific illustrations to help improve the interpretation of vertebrate zoology specimens on display. After an initial walk around the gallery with Sonal, I handed out some questionnaires to gain a sense of the public’s opinions of the information that was already available. Sonal and I went through the different illustration styles and worked through which styles would be best suited to our audience for each topic. One of the recurring points that we noticed from the questionnaires was a plea for more information for older visitors and more colour.

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Twisted Tales of Gallery Oldham’s Collection of Fish Casts

Written by Patricia Francis, Natural History Curator, Gallery Oldham. 

So, what’s a fish cast? Fish are particularly difficult creatures to preserve. Fish taxidermy is tricky as even a freshly dead specimen rapidly loses it colour and can quickly start to decay. Fish skin is thin and tears easily and obtaining the work of an experienced fish taxidermist is very expensive while fluid preservation involves the use of chemicals which alter the skin colouration.

Dace (1932-54 )

Modelling or casting is often chosen as an alternative way to represent the animal rather than using the actual fish skin as taxidermy does. A cast now might be made using a resin but historically plaster has been used. Then comes the clever bit, accurate painting of the cast to appear like the living animal.

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