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el1zabe4h's review
4.0
I loved this morbid look at a little Victorian whimsy. Walter Potter was a British country taxidermist who created his own museum filled with anthropomorphic displays of his creations. It is an adult picture book that will feed your morbid curiosity.
Thanks to Blue Rider Press for sending me a complimentary copy.
Thanks to Blue Rider Press for sending me a complimentary copy.
soubhi's review
5.0
It’s a pity this collection has been sold and spread far and wide. I found this book to be interesting and educational. The pictures are fascinating. I’m glad to have this book as part of my collection.
jspotter's review
4.0
An interesting look at Victorian era taxidermy in England. Full disclosure, I've been called morbid on more than one occasion by various people, so the fact that I liked this book should shock no one who knows me well.
Some of the tableaux appealed to me more than others, which may have something to do with the manipulation of the animal. The prime example is The Kittens' Wedding, in which the kittens are fully dressed in Victorian wedding attire and have "teddy bear" eyes, with circular pupils instead of narrow slits. Likewise, the rats in The Lower Five "appear to have had their faces flattened, for a more human expression, with eyes facing more forward than out to the sides."
I am, however, thoroughly charmed by Rabbits' Village School, The Upper Ten, and A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed, as well as any tableau with a sizable bird population. In Rabbits' Village School forty-eight baby rabbits engage in writing, sums, music, and handcrafts. What's not to love about a wee rabbit darning a sock? While the rabbits have been posed in an anthropomorphic manner, their eyes and their faces remain rabbit like. As do the rat faces in A Friend in Need.
The Kittens' Wedding will be on display at the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn from 1 September - 6 November 2016. While I tend more towards the "natural" end of taxidermy, I have every intention of seeing Mr. Potter's work for myself.
Some of the tableaux appealed to me more than others, which may have something to do with the manipulation of the animal. The prime example is The Kittens' Wedding, in which the kittens are fully dressed in Victorian wedding attire and have "teddy bear" eyes, with circular pupils instead of narrow slits. Likewise, the rats in The Lower Five "appear to have had their faces flattened, for a more human expression, with eyes facing more forward than out to the sides."
I am, however, thoroughly charmed by Rabbits' Village School, The Upper Ten, and A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed, as well as any tableau with a sizable bird population. In Rabbits' Village School forty-eight baby rabbits engage in writing, sums, music, and handcrafts. What's not to love about a wee rabbit darning a sock? While the rabbits have been posed in an anthropomorphic manner, their eyes and their faces remain rabbit like. As do the rat faces in A Friend in Need.
The Kittens' Wedding will be on display at the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn from 1 September - 6 November 2016. While I tend more towards the "natural" end of taxidermy, I have every intention of seeing Mr. Potter's work for myself.
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