The American Museum Journal 



Volume XIV 



MAY, 1914 



Number 5 



THE NEW AFRICAN HALL PLANNED BY 

 CARL E. AKELEY 



PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTION WHICH STRIKE A REVOLUTION IN 



METHODS OF EXHIBITION AND PRESAGE THE FUTURE GREATNESS 



OF THE EDUCATIONAL MUSEUM 



With detailed description of the African Hall model constructed under the 

 supervision of Mr. x\keley 



RAPID progress has been made in 

 America in recent years as re- 

 gards methods of reaUstic exhi- 

 bition of animals in museums; witness 

 the famous mammal groups in the Field 

 Museum, the cycloramic group showing 

 the birds of Laysan Island in the Mu- 

 seum of the University of Iowa, and the 

 habitat bird groups of the American Mu- 

 seum, as also in the American Museum 

 the new reptile groups which show what 

 can be accomplished with wax as a me- 

 dium, and the wharf-pile group devel- 

 oped in glass. It is unnecessary even 

 to suggest comparison with the often 

 crudely mounted mammals and birds 

 and the discolored shapeless alcoholic 

 material that made up exhibits a few- 

 years ago and still in both large and 

 small museums here and abroad often 

 meet the eyes of the visitor seeking in- 

 struction in natural history. 



Mr. Carl E. xVkeley when speaking 

 recently before a joint meeting of the 

 National Sculpture Society, the Archi- 

 tectural League of New York and the 

 IMacDowell Club, ^present at the Mu- 

 seum to view the model of the new 

 African hall, illustrated well the need 

 that existed for advance in the methods 

 of animal exhibition. We quote his 

 story in which he humorously tells of his 



own early experience in the work of 

 mounting animals : 



When I was a boy I learned taxidermy on 

 my own hook. I borrowed a book that had 

 cost one dollar and from that book I learned 

 taxidermy up to a point where I felt justified 

 in having business cards printed stating that 

 I did artistic taxidermy in all its branches. 

 One day armed with that card I went to the 

 city of Rochester where was located the god- 

 father of all museums, Ward's Natural Science 

 Establishment. After walking up and down 

 in front of Ward's house a number of times, 

 trying to screw up my courage to go in and 

 make application for a position, I finally got 

 my hand upon that card and was reassured. I 

 went in, presented the card to Professor Ward 

 and I assure you he jumped at the opportunity 

 to secure my services — at $3.50 per week. 



Thus I went to Ward's and learned to stuff 

 animals. I have a theory that the first 

 museimi taxidermist came into existence in 

 about this way: One of our dear old friends, 

 an old-fashioned closet naturalist who knew 

 animals only as dried skins and had been 

 getting funds from some kind-hearted phi- 

 lanthropist, one day under pressure from the 

 philanthropist, who naturally wanted to see 

 some result from all this money put into the 

 hands of a scientist, sent out around the 

 corner and called in an vipholsterer and said, 

 "Here is the skin of an animal. I want you 

 to stuff this thing and make it look like a live 

 animal." The upholsterer did it and kept 

 on doing it until the scientist had a little 

 more money given to him for work. After a 

 while the upholsterer became ambitious and 



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