Essay On Taxidermy

The Art of Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the art of stretching an animal skin over a canvas to create lifelike recreations of the animal. The process was started in the many centuries ago, as long as people have been hunting, with many people considering mummification of pets the start of taxidermy. (“How Taxidermy... “ 1-2) There have been archeological findings that show animal hides being draped over rocks and blocks of wood. Their use is currently unknown but there are theories of using them as target practice or as a type of effigy ("Advancements in…” 1). In the 1500’s, a more conventional idea of taxidermy was created. The first book on taxidermy was written in 1555 by Pierre Belon. The preservation techniques and the mounts improved greatly in the 1600’s and are drastically different today from when the book was written. The 1800’s were when the first pieces of taxidermy that are more standard in comparison to modern taxidermy. In the victorian era, taxidermy became extremely popular. Taxidermied

The skin is stretched over the mount and often pinned. At this point, the skin is either glued or sewn onto the mount. the artist takes careful note to make this process as seamless as possible. If the animal was skinned correctly, most of these seams will be on the underbelly of the animal. After placing the largest parts of skin, the artist will that begin to shape the feet and ears. Though the feet can be stretched over the mount, there will need to be adjustments made. Hooves, pads, and nails are often replaced to avoid deterioration. As for the ears, the cartilage will need to be loosened and shaped. After this, the taxidermist will sew or glue in what they have finished shaping and will check their seams to make sure nothing has been missed. Often, the mount will be placed into a wildlife scene, the artist using dried plants to bring out the nature of the animal and give the piece meaning (Greenwell