What is Taxidermy?

The Oxford Dictionary defines Taxidermy as: "the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting skins of animals with lifelike effect "

The word taxidermy is derived from the two ancient Greek words taxis, meaning movement and derma, meaning skin; the literal meaning of the word taxidermist is 'one whom arranges skins of animals into a lifelike manner'.

Although the art of taxidermy can be traced back to the times of the ancient Egyptians who practiced a form of taxidermy in the mummification of sacred animals for inclusion in the tombs of the great Pharaohs, taxidermy has remained one of the least understood art forms of modern man.

Many of the earlier examples of taxidermy  from the late 19th and early 20 th centuries were merely specimens of cured skin stuffed to size with cotton, straw or grasses and crudely shaped to resemble the specimen in question.  Much of the shape would be lost as the specimen dried and the overall final anatomy  fell far short of the living animal.

With the emergence of the plastics era in the 1960s, taxidermy entered the world of mass production. The use of polyester fibreglass moulds to manufacture high volume polyurethane foam manikins signalled the sunset of the labour intensive laminated rose paper and plaster forms of the time and the mechanisation of polyurethane form production to come.

Significant advances have  been made in the past 30-40 years in the science of tanning and leather production with the manufacture of specialised equipment for the shaving of capes and hides for use by taxidermists. New tanning compounds have also been formulated exclusively for ”fur on” leather tanning, whilst the craft of glass eye manufacture and coloring has all but been replaced by computer and mechanical technologies.

Modern technology has now improved and replaced  many of the basic skills associated with taxidermy. Advanced  tanning techniques of hides and skins and the use of prefabricated plastic forms have all but eliminated the early concept of animal "stuffing."

All that remains now is the knowledge and ability of the artist to capture the essence of the specimen in question and thus satisfy the term “lifelike effect“.

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