Anatomical Alphabet from William Cowper's "Myotomia Reformata," 1724; By Paul Dijstelberge of the Special Collections Amsterdam

Paul Dijstelberge of the Special Collections Amsterdam has created a fantastic (if not quite complete) anatomical alphabet from initial caps drawn which pepper William Cowper's 1724 book Myotomia Reformata: or an Anatomical Treatise on the Muscles of the Human Body.

You can see the whole collection on the blog "A Beautiful Book"by clicking here. You can find more about this book in a recent guest post by Morbid Anatomy for the New York Academy of Medicine.

Thanks so much to Eve Sinaiko for sharing!

Morbid Anatomy Library Open Today (12/28) From 12-2 PM; No Appointment Neccesary!

Today, Saturday December 28,The Morbid Anatomy Library is hosting no appointment necessary open hours from 2-6pm; Because Proteus Gowanus is closed, enter via the blue door at 543 Union Street (at Nevins), Brooklyn, New York; Just buzz 1E.

Hope to see you there!

Merry Christmas with Jean Paul Gaultier Virgins (Madonna) Series, The Brooklyn Museum

I am not usually a big fan of haute couture, but Jean Paul Gaultier's Virgins (or Madonnas) collection, now on view at The Brooklyn Museum, is one of the best things I have ever seen. These lavishly elegant and painstakingly crafted gowns are embellished with sacred and bleeding hearts, or open in the suggestion of portable altars, or are encrusted with anatomical silver ex voto. Each is topped by a halo-inspired tiara/headdresses made from such materials as feathers, shells, and/or jewels; many of the models sport stylized Madonna Dolorosa-inspried tears. The installation is also a delightful spectacle in and of itself, with the blank white heads of the mannequins uncannily brought to life by video projections of the faces of the models, who blink and shift their aloof gazes towards and away from you, fantasies of the Virgin Mary brought to life.

If you are based in the New York area, I cannot more highly recommend making a pilgrimage to see these incredibly artful pieces, on view at The Brooklyn Museum in the exhibition "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk" through February 23, 2014. You can find out more by clicking here.

Thanks so much to my friend Shannon Taggart for making sure I saw this incredible exhibition. 

Images sourced from Art at Heart, Visual Therapy, Relics on Adams Street, and Pretty Cripple.

Happy Birthday to Jesus and a Merry Christmas to All!

Wishing a Happy Birthday to Jesus and a Merry Christmas to all with this figure of Jesus seen in Aguascalientes, Mexico on our recent Death in Mexico: A Special Field Trip to Mexico for Day of the Dead.

You can see a full set of photos from this trip by clicking here.

Nothing Says "Merry Christmas" Like Krampus on the BBC!

A very happy Christmas Eve to you! And what better way to celebrate than with Krampus?

Just in time for the holiday, journalist Alina Simone has done a wonderful piece of radio reportage for the BBC's "The World" about the phenomenon of Krampus and the lack of darkness in American culture more generally, focusing on last weekend's Morbid Anatomy and Ghoul a Go Go Krampus party!

Click here to listen; You will find the piece at 18:20 in.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Support The Morbid Anatomy Museum in Your End of Year Giving!

If you are a regular reader of Morbid Anatomy, you know that we don't usually do this kind of thing, but it's the end of the year, and if you are looking for tax write-offs for 2013, we would really love it if you would consider the Morbid Anatomy Museum. All donations are now 100% tax deductible, thanks to our fiscal sponsor Brooklyn Arts Council, and it's a very exciting time for us, with many epic changes coming our way.

For those who have not already heard, we have just put down three months rent on a 3-floor, 4,200 square foot former nightclub (!!!) which will become the Morbid Anatomy Museum headquarters. This new museum will house not only our extant lecture and workshop program, but also an expanded Morbid Anatomy library and permanent collection, a café serving beer and wine, a gift shop, and an exhibition space hosting temporary exhibitions of overlooked and forgotten artifacts from private collections. Our first exhibition will be devoted to devoted to Victorian anthropomorphic taxidermist Walter Potter. To learn more about the museum, you can read this lovely piece on DNAinfo; also, stay tuned for stories in the Wall Street Journal and  BBC's The World coming in the days and weeks to come.

With all of these changes, now would be a particularly powerful and wonderful time to make a donation to the Morbid Anatomy Museum. All donations will go directly towards building out this new space into the most beautiful and amazing incarnation possible. They will also, of course, win our undying gratitude.

You can donate to The Morbid Anatomy Museum by clicking here. If you're interested in donating $1,000 or above, please email info [at] morbidanatomymuseum.org to learn about our founding donor levels which will not only enshrine your name in the museum for all time (!), but will win you loads of special perks.

Thanks very much for your consideration, and very happy holidays!

Morbid Anatomy

Last Day for 20% Off Select Items on Morbid Anatomy Museum Online Gifthshop!

Today is the last day to get 20% off select items on the Morbid Anatomy Museum gift shop!

You can buy, among other things, the awesome Morbid Anatomy Museum calendar you see above, filled with twelve full color photographs of such things as 18th century anatomical waxworks, 17th century fetal skeleton tableaux, and Walter Potter's taxidermied kittens having a tea party. Important dates such as the birthday of Edward Gorey, the first performance at Paris' Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, Dia de los Muertos and Santa Muerte's Feast Day are also noted. Only $16 until tomorrow!

You can view all sale items by clicking here.

Announcing "Curious Specimens From the Odontological Collection" : A Guest Post Series by Kristin Hussey, Hunterian Museum, London

Kristin Hussey--Assistant Curator of the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons with responsibility for the Odontological Collection--has kindly agreed to write a series of guest posts for Morbid Anatomy about some of the most curious objects in her collection. Following is the first post of the series; more to come soon!

Our teeth are eloquent. They survive long after we have gone and bear witness to the details of our lives: our diet, our environment and even our health. The Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons has been collecting teeth since its earliest days and its founder, John Hunter, played a crucial role not only in the development of scientific surgery but also scientific dentistry. Hunter’s collection of teeth was complimented by the loan to the College in 1909 of the Odontological Society of London’s extensive collection. Founded in 1856, Odontological Society of London provided a forum for the greatest dentists of the day to come together to discuss their cases and innovations, often gifting the most interesting examples to the Museum. The collections of the Society were formally gifted as a token of good faith in the wake of the May 1941 incendiary bomb which destroyed a large portion the Royal College of Surgeon’s collections.

Today the Odontological Collection forms a part of the Hunterian Museum but retains its early character as a compendium of the interests and debates held by Victorian dentists of the Odontological Society. From exotic animal teeth to the dentures of celebrities to dental casts of people found in London’s sideshows, the curious specimens of the collection live alongside the more clinical examples. Using the Odontological Collection as our guide, this blog series will explore the curious, fascinating and bizarre stories that can be told through our teeth.

For more information on specimens mentioned in this series please visit the Museum’s online catalogue at http://surgicat.rceng.ac.uk or contact Kristin directly at khussey [at] rcseng.ac.uk.
 
Image: A necklace of human teeth brought back by the explorer H. Stanley from the Egyptian Sudan and presented to the Odontological Society in 1890, Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons

Upcoming Morbid Anatomy Events and Holiday Party Week Recap

Thanks to all those who braved the ice storms and freezing snow to make it out for our Morbid Anatomy holiday fair and Krampus Party last weekend! You can see a few photos above: top, Ryan Matthews Cohn with his stand at the craft hair, middle: Laetitia Barbier and Wilder Duncan getting into the spirit at the Krampus party. You can full sets of photos by clicking here for Krampus, and here for the Craft Fair.

Tonight, Tuesday December 17th at 8PM, we have another great event well worth braving the elements for: "Anatomy of a Doomed Desire: Hummingbird Collectors in the Romantic Period" with Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors.

In the weeks and months to come, we also have scores of upcoming taxidermy classes, with Morbid Anatomy Taxidermists in Residence Divya Anantharaman and Katie Innamorato, including Antlered Guinea Pig or Rat Gaff (Sunday, January 5); Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Squirrel Taxidermy Class (Sunday, January 12); and Bunny Taxidermy Class (Saturday, January 25th).

Full details follow on all events; hope to see you at one or more of these terrific events!

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Anatomy of a Doomed Desire: Hummingbird Collectors in the Romantic Period
Illustrated lecture by Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors
Date: Tuesday, December 17
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Among the most arresting artifacts of the early nineteenth century are hummingbird cabinets in which ardent collectors pinned taxidermied birds to branches or fixed them in flight. In tonight's illustrated lecture, Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors, will discuss the romantic-era vogue for hummingbird collecting, the collectors who sought these bejeweled birds, and the fervor behind collecting pursuits.

Judith Pascoe is the M.F. Carpenter Professor of English at the University of Iowa. She has written about dead birds, over-achieving readers, and Napoleon’s penis. Her most recent book, The Sarah Siddons Audio Files, describes her attempt to hear a voice that thrilled listeners before the advent of recording technology. She is currently writing about Japanese versions of Wuthering Heights. For more information about her work please visit www.judithpascoe.com

Image: Detail from a Victorian display case filled with 100s of hummingbird, London Museum of Natural History.

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Antlered Guinea Pig or Rat Gaff Taxidermy Class with Rogue Taxidermist Katie Innamorato
Sunday, January 5
Time: 12 – 7 PM
Admission: $185
***Tickets must be pre-purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/534564
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
*** Offsite: Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424 A 3rd Avenue ( Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue ), 11215 Brooklyn , NY
Subway: 4th Av - 9th Street (R - F - G)

This class will teach students the basics of small mammal taxidermy and incorporate rogue/gaff elements. Each student will be provided with a specimen and little sculpted antlers. They will learn how to mix and match parts and how to secure pieces onto their mount. We will make armatures and learn how to carve their own head forms. Students encouraged to bring in any props they may want to dress the animal up in. Everything will be provided and each student will leave with his or her own finished mount. (If rats are used student will be shown how to properly and safely remove the tail bones and meat completely.)

Katie Innamorato, artist and Rogue Taxidermist, is a member of the M.A.R.T. or Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists. She is professionally and self taught in taxidermy; winning awards and ribbons every year at the GSTA. She explores the commercial relationships between animals and our society and her work questions the idea of bringing nature inside. She also examines the cyclical connections between life and death, and growth and decomposition. As with all M.A.R.T. members she adheres to strict ethical guidelines when acquiring specimens. She uses roadkill, scrap skins from other taxidermists and the garment industry, and donated skins to create her artworks; almost every part of the animal is utilized.
Her work has been featured recently on the new Science Channel show, "Odd Folks Home," on the hit Science and Discovery Channel TV show, "Oddities," and exhibited at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, CA.

Her website and blogs-
www.afterlifeanatomy.com
www.afterlifeanatomy.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/afterlifeanatomy
www.etsy.com/shop/afterlifeanatomy

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Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Squirrel Taxidermy Class with Divya Anantharaman
A class with Morbid Anatomy Library Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman
Date: Sunday, January 12
Time: 12:00 PM
Admission: $250.00
*TICKETS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED AT http://squirrelytaxidermy.brownpapertickets.com/
***Offsite at The Fabricoscope (41 Willow Place, #2, 11201 Brooklyn) (MAP)
Subway: Court St, Borough Hall, Jay St. Metro Tech.

In this intimate, hands-on class (limited to only five students), we will study the nutty ways of the squirrel! Students will create a fully-finished classic squirrel mount in a natural sitting position. Students will learn everything involved in producing a finished mount - from initial preparation, hygiene and sanitary measures, to proper technique and dry preservation. The class will offer the option of creating a form through the age old technique of wrapping and carving a head, or using a pre-fabricated head and sculpting a body. There will also be a carcass casting demo, and explanation of how foam mannikins are made. The use of anatomical study, reference photos, and detailed observation will also be reviewed as important tools in recreating the natural poses and expressions that magically reanimate a specimen. A selection of naturalistic and anthropomorphic props will be provided, however, students are welcome to bring their own bases and accessories if something specific is desired. All other supplies will be provided for use in class.

Each student will leave class with a fully finished piece, and the knowledge to create their own pieces in the future.

Divya Anantharaman, one of the Morbid Anatomy Library's "taxidermists in residence," is a Brooklyn based artist whose taxidermy practice was sparked by a lifelong fascination with natural mythology and everyday oddities. After a journey filled with trial and error, numerous books, and an inspiring class (Sue Jeiven's popular Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class at Observatory!), she has found her calling in creating sickly sweet and sparkly critters. Beginning with mice and sparrows, her menagerie grew to include domestic cats, woodchucks, and deer. Recently profiled on Vice Fringes, the New York Observer, and other publications, she will also be appearing in the upcoming season of Oddities-and is definitely up to no good shenanigans. You can find out more at www.d-i-v-y-a.com.

Also, some technical notes:

• We use NO harsh or dangerous chemicals.
• Everyone will be provided with gloves.
• All animals are disease free.
• Although there will not be a lot of blood or gore, a strong constitution is necessary; taxidermy is not for everyone
• All animals were already dead, nothing was killed for this class.
• Please do not bring any dead animals with you to the class.

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Bunny Taxidermy Class with Rogue Taxidermist Katie Innamorato
Saturday, January 25th
Time: 12 – 6 PM
Admission: $300
***Tickets must be pre-purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/536313
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
*** Offsite: Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424 A 3rd Avenue ( Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue ), 11215 Brooklyn , NY
Subway: 4th Av - 9th Street (R - F - G)

This class will introduce students to the process and techniques behind more advanced basic small mammal taxidermy. Students will learn how to skin, prep, preserve, mount, and position the animal. Attention will be focused on how to properly split, turn, and position rabbit ears. Basic armatures will be used and custom made forms (made by me) will be provided. Students will learn how to make a custom body for their specimens using an old traditional taxidermy technique of wrapping a body. Using the carcass for reference, students will learn how to build up and craft the bodies. Students encouraged to bring in any props they may want to dress the animal up in. I will provide all specimens, materials, and tools for the class. Each student will leave with his or her own finished mount.

Katie Innamorato, artist and Rogue Taxidermist, is a member of the M.A.R.T. or Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists. She is professionally and self taught in taxidermy; winning awards and ribbons every year at the GSTA. She explores the commercial relationships between animals and our society and her work questions the idea of bringing nature inside. She also examines the cyclical connections between life and death, and growth and decomposition. As with all M.A.R.T. members she adheres to strict ethical guidelines when acquiring specimens. She uses roadkill, scrap skins from other taxidermists and the garment industry, and donated skins to create her artworks; almost every part of the animal is utilized.
Her work has been featured recently on the new Science Channel show, "Odd Folks Home," on the hit Science and Discovery Channel TV show, "Oddities," and exhibited at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, CA.

Her website and blogs-
www.afterlifeanatomy.com
www.afterlifeanatomy.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/afterlifeanatomy
www.etsy.com/shop/afterlifeanatomy

Full list and more information on all events can be found here. More on the Morbid Anatomy Art Academy can be found here.

Call for Papers: ‘Between Medical Collections and Their Audiences’ – EAMHMS Congress, London 2014

This excellent looking call for papers just in from our friend Katie Maggs of the Science Museum! If interested, you can send abstracts to her at katie.maggs [at] sciencemuseum.ac.uk. Submissions must be in by 20th January 2014.

Full details follow:

Call for Papers: ‘Between medical collections and their audiences’ – EAMHMS Congress, London 2014
EAMHMS (European Association of Museums of the History of Medical Sciences ) Congress, London 2014
‘Between medical collections and their audiences’
September 4th – 6th 2014
Science Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of England, Wellcome Collection

The European Association of Museums of the History of Medical Sciences Congress biennial meeting will be held in London, September 4th – 6th 2014, jointly hosted between the Science Museum, the Royal College of Surgeons (Hunterian Museum) & the Wellcome Collection.

The theme for the 2014 Congress is ‘Between medical collections and their audiences’.

After a thrilling conference of the European Association of Museums of the History of Medical Sciences (EAMHMS) hosted by the Charite, Berlin 2012, we would like to invite the members of the association, as well as interested scholars and curators from the community of medical history collections and museums to participate in the next meeting of the organisation – London 2014.

EAMHMS is an active global network of curators, scholars & stakeholders with an interest in medical collections. The biennial Congress is a great opportunity to present research within a vibrant forum of debate and discussion, and promotes international exchange and collaboration amongst medical history museums. The Association, although nominally European, today attracts participation from around the world and is thus the leading international body of medical museums and collections.

The 2014 Congress will focus on medical collections and audiences – looking at how medical heritage is used to intrigue, problematise, teach, and stimulate interaction and reflection about medicine of the past and of today. Who engages with our collections and which new audiences are we innovating ways to engage with? Our visitors are not passive spectators, but rather participants in the creating of and telling of stories about medical heritage – so what does that mean for the future of curating medical collections & displays?

We welcome contributions around strands such as:

1. Retelling ‘old’ histories with new narratives – in what ways can we reinvigorate audience engagement through re-telling established histories of medicine?
2. Medical professionals as audience – in what ways can we connect and involve our collections to medical students or retired clinicians and beyond?
3. Communicating problematic medical heritage – such as medical controversies, human remains, medical ethics.
4. Audiences and communicating contemporary medical practise – how might we foster contemporary collecting or engage visitors with the material culture of contemporary biomedical practices.  
5. Histories of audiences visiting medical collections - who has historically visited medical museums, how has this changed, what impact does this have?
6. Audiences beyond the walls of the medical museum - approaches to engaging audiences in virtual world or through outreach.
7. Research & innovation with audiences - what do we understand about our visiting audiences through audience evaluation? What new interpretative approaches excite us?

Papers are requested to be no more than 15 minutes in length (with an additional 15 minutes allotted for questions). The language for abstracts, talks, and discussions will be English. Short abstracts will be circulated to Congress participants in advance.

As spaces for speakers are limited, we would also like to invite contributions in the form of poster presentations – which will be discussed in a dedicated session.

We ask you to choose a topic from the above-mentioned issues and send your paper or poster abstract (maximum 1000 characters) with a title, your name and brief biography, the name of your institution (if you are attached to any) and your contact details (preferably e-mail address) to Katie Maggs, Curator of Clinical & Research Medicine at the Science Museum, London:  katie.maggs@sciencemuseum.ac.uk.

Deadline for submission: 20th January 2014.

A programme committee will select abstracts for an inspiring programme. Speakers and poster presenters will receive confirmation by mid-March. If your contribution is chosen, you will be asked to send in an extended abstract (2 to 5 pages) April 2014.

EAMHMS shares costs across the congress, so unfortunately speakers do not go free. The conference fee is envisaged at about £200, but will be confirmed shortly. We look to minimise costs wherever possible.

There may be a reduced fee for a small number of student contributors.

General enrollment for this conference will open in April 2014. We’re looking forward to a thrilling conference! See you in London 2014.

Image: audience interaction at the pathological museum in Mexico City, 2013.

Morbid Anatomy Giftshop Holiday Sale: 20% Off Selected Items, Guaranteed to Arrive by Christmas, Ends December 18!

From now until Wednesday, December 18, a selection of objects in The Morbid Anatomy Giftshop have been marked down 20%, with guaranteed arrival by Christmas, for those in the United States. Just a few things you will find: Krampus masks and cards; Morbid Anatomy calendars, tote bags and t-shirts; Belgian chocolate carrion crow skulls; a variety of hard to find books; and other one-of-a-kind gifts.

You can peruse all sale items by clicking here!

For those in the New York City area, today is also our annual Morbid Anatomy Holiday fair, at Observatory (directions here) from 12-6. If you are on the market for taxidermy, artful bones, Krampus merch, unusual antiques, odd edibles, obscure books, or abject housewares, then this is the place for you. Vendors will include Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV’s Oddities; Morbid Anatomy Museum Taxidermists in Residence Divya Does Taxidermy and Katie Innamorato; and former AMNH insect preparator Daisy Tainton. There will also be loads of beer courtesy of our friends at Brooklyn Brewery.  

PS. We just signed our lease on the new Morbid Anatomy Museum space! Check out this great piece at DNA Info to learn more!

Incorruptable Saints! Holiday Fair! Krampus Costume Party! The Devil! Romantic Hummingbird Collectors: This Week and Beyond at Morbid Anatomy Presents

This week is a very exciting week at Morbid Anatomy, with no less than 5 exciting events.

Tonight (December 9th) at 8PM, All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper's will take us on a virtual tour of the preserved human bodies found in the churches of Paris, such as the incorruptible body of St Vincent de Paul, seen in the second image down. The very next evening, Tuesday December 10th, art historian Maura Coughlin will discuss the relationship between ossuaries and bodies lost at sea in her illustrated lecture "Danse Macabre: Death and Material Ecologies in Brittany."

Later that week, on the evening of Friday the 13th (!), we hope you can join us for Morbid Anatomy's birthday party, in which we "explore history’s most elusive and alluring character - The Christian Devil" via an illustrated lecture by The Midnight Archive's Ronni Thomas; a demonic artifact show and tell; live music by Bird Radio; DJed tunes and cocktails by Friese Undine; and sweets by Rachel Ridout. 

On Saturday December 14th from 12-6, you won't want to miss our fourth (!) annual Morbid Anatomy holiday fair, the perfect place to find unique, niche, and off-the-beaten-path gifts for those hard-to-please folks on your shopping list. This year's iteration will feature oodles of taxidermy, artful bones, unusual antiques, odd edibles, Krampus cards, Morbid Anatomy swag, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities by vendors including Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV's Oddities; Morbid Anatomy Taxidermists in Residence Divya Anantharaman and Katie Innamorato; and artists Nicholas Kahn, Sarah Falkner, Rebeca Olguin, Elizabeth New, Daisy Tainton and Mark Splatter. There will also be music and beer provided by our kind sponsor Brooklyn Brewery.

Come for the fair, but do stick around for our annual party (8PM) devoted to Krampus, St. Nicholas' cloven-hooved, chain-swinging, lolling-toungued, child-punishing Eastern-European sidekick. Come in your best Krampus costume to win prizes!

The following week, on Tuesday December 17th, we hope you can join us for our newly announced illustrated lecture "Anatomy of a Doomed Desire: Hummingbird Collectors in the Romantic Period," by Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors. And, finally, for those eager to learn the craft of taxidermy, Morbid Anatomy Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman will be leading her popular Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Squirrel Taxidermy Class on Sunday, January 12.

Full details follow on all events!

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The Bones of the Saints: Unlocking the Secret History of Paris
An illustrated lecture by All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper
Date: Monday, December 9
Time: 8:00
Admission: $8
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Though frequently overlooked by tourists and locals alike, the holy dead of Paris continue to haunt the city to this day. The bodies of the saints are inextricably woven into the city and unlock some of the most fascinating chapters in the history of Paris.

In this highly illustrated talk, All the Saints You Should Know's Elizabeth Harper will introduce you to such curiosities as cephalophores, or decapitated saints like St. Denis, the patron saint of Paris; incorruptible corpses and their corruptible counterparts sculpted in wax that reside on the same street; the relics of Roman Empress St. Helena, the first relic hunter, now hidden away in a small parish crypt; the bones of 11,000 virgins that never existed; and finally the relics of the patroness of Paris and her connection the murder of an Archbishop by an occultist in the 19th century.

Elizabeth Harper writes All the Saints You Should Know, a blog on Catholic relics and lore as well as pieces on saints and sacred destinations for Atlas Obscura. She is the creator of the "Relics in Rome" map, which pinpoints hundreds of publicly viewable saints' relics in Rome's 900+ churches. She was also an organizer and presenter at Death Salon 2013. By day she is a lighting designer for theatre and opera. She's is currently collaborating with Teller from Penn and Teller on "Play Dead" in Los Angeles.
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Danse Macabre: Death and Material Ecologies in Brittany
Illustrated lecture by Art Historian Maura Coughlin
Date: Tuesday, December 10
Time: 8:00
Admission: $8
Admission: $8
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Ossuaries, skull boxes, widows weeds and material substitutions for bodies missing at sea figure in many travel narratives, popular images and paintings of Breton coastal culture. Many representations depict the seemingly anachronistic practice of reburial of the body, several years after its interment; the ritual function of the ossuary in the churchyard; the display of individual skull boxes in the church and ossuary; and the hybrid Celtic-Christian culture of death lore, Toussaint and the Ankou (grim reaper) in Brittany. A range of artistic topographies have been written onto the Breton landscape, mapping out an ecology of place, obsessed with the pervasive nature of death. Maura Coughlin will explore topics of death, mourning, waste and ecology in coastal Brittany from about 1850 to 1940.

Maura Coughlin, after receiving a PhD in Art History from New York University in 2001, taught at Brown University, RISD and in the art history departments of several New England Universities. She is now Associate Professor of Visual Studies at Bryant University. In late fall of 2013, she has essays related to her talk at Morbid Anatomy being published in two new collections: Death Tourism: Disaster Sites as Recreational Landscape. Edited by Brigitte Sion (Seagull Books - Enactments, December 2013 ) and Women and the Material Culture of Death (Edited by Maureen Daly Goggin and Beth Fowkes Tobin (Ashgate) November 2013). She also runs the blog materialbrittany.blogspot.com—a stew of thoughts on visual and material culture related to Brittany, where mourning, skulls, fish, seaweed, death and compost all collide—and is working on a film, Danse Macabre, which uses layers of imagery and sound work to mimic some of the associations conjured by the fin de siècle fascination with the cult of death in Brittany.

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THE DEVIL - A Celebration and Morbid Anatomy Birthday Party
Illustrated lecture by The Midnight Archive's Ronni Thomas; Artifact Show and Tell; Live Music by Bird Radio; DJed tunes and cocktails by Friese Undine; Sweets by Rachel Ridout; and Morbid Anatomy Birthday Party
Date: Friday, December 13
Time: 8:00
Admission: $12
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

This Friday the 13th of December, join us for a night of demonic fun as we explore history’s most elusive and alluring character - The Christian Devil. Morbid Anatomy filmmaker in Residence Ronni Thomas (themidnightarchive.com) has a freely admitted obsession with the Devil; tonight he will discuss his origin, his life, his evolution, and his importance in “three acts”; early Christianity, middle ages, and romantic-modern era’. We will also take a look at the Devil’s fascinatingly designed Hell as perceived by Dante, Tundale, Bosch and many others. How did the Devil go from being a genuine and terrifying threat to becoming a champion for the passionate and rebellious? Where did the devil get his horns? What did 666 represent?

The event will be interactive through dialogue, art and physical artifacts provided from Thomas’ own collection and that of Oddities' Evan Michelson’s private collection. And most importantly the event will bring our own little devil Joanna Ebenstein (founder of Morbid Anatomy) to her 25th year of age ;) We will also be celebrating the birthday of special guest Chiara Ambrosio. Cocktails by Friese Undine and demonic themed music throughout as well as decorated ambiance and festivities. There will also be live music by London's Bird Radio and sweets by Rachel Ridout. Not to miss-ssssssss…

Ronni Thomas is the Morbid Anatomy Museum Filmmaker in Residence. He is creator of The Midnight Archive web series is an avid drinker who appreciates both the history of antique spirits and the effects they have on his self esteem. He is currently working on a film about Victorian anthropomorphic taxidermist Walter Potter; more on that here.

Image: The Hours of Catherine of Cleves, 1440; sourced at Metal on Metal

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The Ghoul a Go Go and Morbid Anatomy Krampus A Go-Go Costume Party!
Date: Saturday, December 14
Time: 8:00
Admission: $13
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Presented by Morbid Anatomy and Ghoul a Go Go

Join Ghoul A Go-Go and Morbid Anatomy at Observatory for their 200th annual party devoted to Krampus, St. Nicholas' cloven-hooved, chain-swinging, lolling-toungued, child-punishing Eastern-European sidekick! We've emptied a bag full of children to make room for all the fun!

A mystery episode of Ghoul A Go-Go will be shown in a darkened room. Cardone the Ultimate Vaudeville Magician will be there to astound you with his ultimate Vaudeville magic. Dust off that old Krampus outfit, because there will be a Krampus Kostume Kontest with a prize for the best! Instead of a movie, this year Creighton will be showing clips from his secret stash of bizarre holiday films.

You'll believe a reindeer can fly!

You will also have some beer, wine, and an Old Country favorite shot to warm you up! There will even be a Krampus Kake for those who are into that sort of thing. It wouldn't be the Observatory if you didn't learn yerself nuthin'. So, Vlad and Creighton will teach you their style of taxidermy. Creighton will demonstrate the process right before your eyes. You will then be given the opportunity to make your own critter (while supplies last) and a prize awarded for best monstrosity!

* Ghoul A Go-Go “MYSTERY EPISODE” with Vlad & Creighton appearing LIVE!
* CARDONE performing magic!
* Creighton screens his secret stash of bizarre holiday films!
* Taxidermy lesson as taught by Creighton: Everybody will a chance to create their own taxidermied critter!
* Krampus Kostume Kontest with prize awarded to best!
* Brew and spirits from The Old Country! Krampus Kake! More fun than you can beat with a stick!
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Holiday fair with multiple vendors serving your alternative holiday needs including taxidermy galore, artful bones, Krampus cards, unusual antiques, odd edibles, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities
Date: Saturday, December 14
Time: Noon - 6:00 PM
Admission: Free
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Beer courtesy of our sponsor Brooklyn Brewery

Please join us on Saturday December 14th for the Morbid Anatomy annual holiday fair, the perfect place to find unique, niche, and off-the-beaten-path gifts for those hard-to-please folks on your shopping list. This year's iteration will feature oodles of taxidermy, artful bones, unusual antiques, odd edibles, Krampus cards, Morbid Anatomy swag, obscure books, abject housewares and assorted curiosities by vendors including Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV's Oddities; Morbid Anatomy Taxidermists in Residence Divya Anantharaman and Katie Innamorato; and artists Nicholas Kahn, Sarah Falkner, Rebeca Olguin, Elizabeth New, Daisy Tainton and Mark Splatter. There will also be music and beer provided by our kind sponsor Brooklyn Brewery.

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Anatomy of a Doomed Desire: Hummingbird Collectors in the Romantic Period
Illustrated lecture by Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors
Date: Tuesday, December 17
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Location: Observatory, 543 Union Street at Nevins, enter via Proteus Gowanus GalleryPresented by Morbid Anatomy

Among the most arresting artifacts of the early nineteenth century are hummingbird cabinets in which ardent collectors pinned taxidermied birds to branches or fixed them in flight. In tonight's illustrated lecture, Judith Pascoe, author of The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors, will discuss the romantic-era vogue for hummingbird collecting, the collectors who sought these bejeweled birds, and the fervor behind collecting pursuits.

Judith Pascoe is the M.F. Carpenter Professor of English at the University of Iowa. She has written about dead birds, over-achieving readers, and Napoleon’s penis. Her most recent book, The Sarah Siddons Audio Files, describes her attempt to hear a voice that thrilled listeners before the advent of recording technology. She is currently writing about Japanese versions of Wuthering Heights. For more information about her work please visit www.judithpascoe.com

Image: Detail from a Victorian display case filled with 100s of hummingbird, London Museum of Natural History.
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Anthropomorphic/Naturalistic Squirrel Taxidermy Class with Divya Anantharaman
A class with Morbid Anatomy Library Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman
Date: Sunday, January 12
Time: 12:00 PM
Admission: $250.00
*TICKETS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED AT http://squirrelytaxidermy.brownpapertickets.com/
***Offsite at The Fabricoscope (41 Willow Place, #2, 11201 Brooklyn) (MAP)
Subway: Court St, Borough Hall, Jay St. Metro Tech.

In this intimate, hands-on class (limited to only five students), we will study the nutty ways of the squirrel! Students will create a fully-finished classic squirrel mount in a natural sitting position. Students will learn everything involved in producing a finished mount - from initial preparation, hygiene and sanitary measures, to proper technique and dry preservation. The class will offer the option of creating a form through the age old technique of wrapping and carving a head, or using a pre-fabricated head and sculpting a body. There will also be a carcass casting demo, and explanation of how foam mannikins are made. The use of anatomical study, reference photos, and detailed observation will also be reviewed as important tools in recreating the natural poses and expressions that magically reanimate a specimen. A selection of naturalistic and anthropomorphic props will be provided, however, students are welcome to bring their own bases and accessories if something specific is desired. All other supplies will be provided for use in class.

Each student will leave class with a fully finished piece, and the knowledge to create their own pieces in the future.

Divya Anantharaman, one of the Morbid Anatomy Library's "taxidermists in residence," is a Brooklyn based artist whose taxidermy practice was sparked by a lifelong fascination with natural mythology and everyday oddities. After a journey filled with trial and error, numerous books, and an inspiring class (Sue Jeiven's popular Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class at Observatory!), she has found her calling in creating sickly sweet and sparkly critters. Beginning with mice and sparrows, her menagerie grew to include domestic cats, woodchucks, and deer. Recently profiled on Vice Fringes, the New York Observer, and other publications, she will also be appearing in the upcoming season of Oddities-and is definitely up to no good shenanigans. You can find out more at www.d-i-v-y-a.com.

Also, some technical notes:

• We use NO harsh or dangerous chemicals.
• Everyone will be provided with gloves.
• All animals are disease free.
• Although there will not be a lot of blood or gore, a strong constitution is necessary; taxidermy is not for everyone
• All animals were already dead, nothing was killed for this class.
• Please do not bring any dead animals with you to the class.

Full list and more information on all events can be found here. More on the Morbid Anatomy Art Academy can be found here.

The Modern Anatomical Venus at Leiden's Museum Boerhaave: Guest Post by Bart Grob, The Boerhaave Museum

Just a few weeks ago, the new exhibition Amazing Models, on the Emotional, Medical and Cultural History of Anatomical Models opened at Leiden's Boerhaave Museum. To commemorate the opening of this incredible looking exhibition, here is a guest post by Bart Grob, conservator and curator at that museum, about the publicity image commissioned by the exhibition seen above (top image):

Is it fashion, is it a glamor, or is it anatomy?

In fact it's all three. This modern day anatomical Venus (top image), in style of the famous anatomical models from the Viennese Josephinum museum (bottom image) is portrait of Dutch actress Georgina Verbaan.

She was photographed by Koen Hauser who has a large interest in anatomy, and is well known for this anatomy series. He combined an image of an original wax model from the Museum Boerhave collections with a glamorous photo of the model, thus reconstructing an image of the time when female anatomical models where not only about the anatomy of the body. Skilled hands of Florentine waxmodellers delivered beautiful, sensual and elegant models of the female body.

Yesterday, the 20th of November, Amazing Models, a new exhibit on the emotional, medical and cultural history of anatomical models, opened to the public at the Museum Boerhaave. To address all these different themes this reconstruction of the anatomical Venus was chosen as image for the publicity campaign. The heyday of spectacular anatomy seem to be back again!

You can find out more about this exhibition, on view until June of 2014, by clicking here. And stay tuned for news of a Morbid Anatomy Museum pop-up event series taking place in partnership with the Boerhaave Museum, the Vrolik Museum and more Netherlands-based institutions, coming soon!

Top image: Fotocredits: Koen Hauser, photography Hair and Make up, Luise van Huisstede, Model Georgina Verbaan

Bottom image: "Anatomical Venuses," Wax Models with human hair in rosewood and Venetian glass cases,The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria, from The Secret Museum, by Joanna Ebenstein

Support and Become Part of the Morbid Anatomy Museum on #GivingTuesday!

As many regular readers already know, as we are rapidly expanding beyond the limitations of our tiny room on the Gowanus (see above images; more here), we here at Morbid Anatomy are in the process of expanding our little project into a greater vision: The Morbid Anatomy Museum.

The Morbid Anatomy Museum will be full-fledged non-profit institutions dedicated to the arcane, the uncanny, and that which falls between the cracks of discussion and display. It will take as its inspiration 19th century anatomical museums, eccentric private collections, dime museums and the studies of gentleman collectors. The Morbid Anatomy Museum will provide New York with a museum which is both intelligent and delightful; one which, like Charle's Willson Peale's Philadelphia Museum and London's Wellcome Collection, gives equal primacy to the educational AND the spectacular.

The Morbid Anatomy Museum will continue our long tradition of cultivating our unique community of collectors and the curious with lectures, symposia, spectacles and workshops; there will also be a café/gift shop, and a "Morbid Anatomy Residency" wherein we host artists and scholars from all over the world--such as ceroplast Eleanor Crook, medical artist Emily Evans, Wellcome Trust engagement fellow Richard Barnett, and Ryan Matthew Cohn of TV's Oddities--to teach classes, give talks and make new work using the collection. The museum will also feature a temporary exhibition space wherein we curate intelligent and aesthetic shows drawing on the amazing and underseen world of private collections, and the kinds or artifacts which fall between the cracks of disciplines and institutional display. If you would like to learn more about this project, click here to watch a short film narrated by Evan Michelson of TV's Oddities, who is also on our board of directors.

As you can see, this is a very ambitious project. In order to make this space the most amazing and perfect space it can be, we are asking, on this #GivingTuesday, for your help. This is your chance to be personally involved in--and commemorated for that involvement!--in the creation of a one-of-a-kind museum.

To that end, we are in the process of recruiting founding members--people who believe in our mission and want to help make the nascent Morbid Anatomy Museum the very best thing it can be. Founding members will be commemorated permanently within the space in the form of metal ex votos engraved with their names; they will also be given lots of special perks (see below), as well as, of course, our undying gratitude and devotion.

To that end, we have three levels available; breakdown for each follows. Our non-profit paperwork has not yet been approved by the state; in the meantime, we are being fiscally sponsor is Brooklyn Arts Council, so all donations are 100% tax deductible.

Founding Member Levels:

$1,000

All Morbid Anatomy Publications

Preview Nights for Morbid Anatomy Museum Exhibits

$5,000

The Above plus:

Bi-Annual Founding Donors Party in a Special Location

Special Private Events with Internationally Renowned Museum Curators, Authors, and Collectors

$10,000

The Above plus:

Host Your Own Private Event at the Museum

If you are interested in becoming a founding member--or making any other donation!--simply click here. Feel free to email us with any questions at morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com.

It's been a hundred years since anyone founded this kind of museum in New York and we're excited to announce our intention to make a mark on this city! It's really happening, and it's going to be a beautiful space with your help.

Stay tuned!!