THE WORK OF CARL E. AKELEY 



WORK on the elephant group planned by Mr. Carl E. Akeley for 

 the American Museum is to begin in early summer. Many 

 studies are already in progress both for the group and for 

 supplementary miniature groups and single figures to be cast in bronze and 

 used to supplement the life size group, thus illustrating in full the character 

 and habits of the African elephant. 



Some of Mr. Akeley's work is to be seen in the Chicago Field Museum — 

 a series of groups of African mammals, a very beautiful seasonal series 

 of the Virginia deer and as the central piece of the Museum a statuesque 

 group of two elephants. At present Mr. Akeley has connection with the 

 Field Museum in an extension of the African mammal series, working at 

 the moment on an African buffalo group of large proportions. 



The elephant group planned for the American Museum, a family group 

 of massed elephants, five in number, is destined for the center of the African 

 hall in the proposed new wing. The group, statuesque in effect, without 

 habitat, will tower eighteen feet from the floor, elevated four feet on a pedes- 

 tal base in order to give an unobstructed view on first approach from the ends 

 of the hall over two low groups of rhinos one at either end. These three 

 groups in a space 44 by 136 feet will be mounted according to Mr. Akeley's 

 newly devised method for non-haired mammals which gives them the 

 permanency of bronze and allows exhibition without cases, exposed to the 

 varying heat and humidity conditions of the open hall. 



The elephant group will have in addition to the correlated bronze 

 miniature groups and single figures already mentioned, bas-reliefs in bronze 

 on the sides of the pedestal. These will show the massing of the animals 

 in herds, and other features of the story of the African elephant and its 

 relation to the country and to the natives. As planned, the great central 

 space of the hall with its elephant and rhino groups will be encircled by a 

 series of thirty-two panoramic groups with habitats and painted backgrounds, 

 each composite in character, so that together they will show several hundred 

 species. The corner groups for instance will represent the Congo forest 

 (okapi the center of interest), African plains, African desert with typical 

 water-hole (giraffe the center), and a river scene of Africa. Each of these 

 will contain many species, the last for example, crocodiles, hippos and turtles 

 in the water, and in the trees that border the river different species of 

 monkeys and birds. These thirty-two groups will be in cases so constructed 

 as to be under automatic control regarding light, temperature and humidity, 

 entirely independent of the varying conditions in the main open part of the 

 hall. 



Two requisites underlie successful work in taxidermy — as the mounting 

 of animals for museum exhibition is known — in addition to accuracy of the 

 scientific truth to be demonstrated. The first of these is technique of such 



173 



