Morbid Anatomy Museum Gift Shop: 2014 Wall Calendar Now 40% Off and Many, Many New Additions!

Special alert: we have just reduced the price of our few remaining Morbid Anatomy Museum 2014 wall calendars (top image) by 40%; you can get yours now for only $12 (regularly $20) by clicking here! This handsome calendar features twelve full-color photographs of 18th century Italian anatomical waxworks, 17th century fetal skeleton tableaux, and Walter Potter 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.

Also! Have you visited the Morbid Anatomy Museum Gift Shop lately? We have tons of wonderful new additions. Fancy a signed, limited edition artwork by artist Saul Chernick ("Exit Strategy," 2nd down) or French artist Justine Gasquet ("Ollier’s Photo Collection Little Girl," 3rd down)? Perhaps you might be more interested in a silk histology scarf or handkerchief "printed with a slice of human Rectum, stained and examined with light microscopy" by ingenious anatomical artist Emily Evans (6th down)? Or perhaps you might like to own a gorgeous unique print from George Krause's "Saints and Martyrs" photograph series, paying "homage to the anonymous artisans who fashioned [religious] statues..." (4th down)? Or maybe your collection would not be complete without a one of a kind piece of anthropomorphic rat taxidermy by Emily Binard ("Lil' Hell Raiser, 5th down) or a beautiful, limited edition decorative flower-bedecked gingerbread skull is made by Austrian-Slovakian Delidesign (bottom image)?

You can see the full, dizzying collection of art, taxidermy, books, edibles and collectables sourced from artists and makers around the world on the Morbid Anatomy Museum Gift Shop by clicking here.

AND if you are interested in learning more about the nascent Morbid Anatomy Museum, check out this lovely article in today's Wall Street Journal!

"Casts of the Teeth of Julia Pastrana (1834-1860), the Nondescript" : Guest Post 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.
 

The second post from that series, entitled "Curious Specimens From the Odontological Collection," follows; you can view all posts in this series by clicking here.

Julia Pastrana was one of the most sensational figures in the era of Victorian circuses and sideshows. Pastrana was known as the ‘bear woman’, the ‘ape woman’ or the ‘the nondescript’ as a result of a condition, now known as hypertrichosis, which resulted in her entire body being covered in hair. Her corpse remained an object of spectacle long after her death in 1860 as it was toured around the world, embalmed, another 20 years by her husband-manager. With her remains recently interred in her home town in Mexico, the casts of her teeth in the Odontological Collection are the last remaining physical memory of the Victorian era’s most famous human curiosities.

Pastrana met her husband, Theodore (also called Lewis) Lent, in the early 1850s. The two married and Lent toured Pastrana across Europe singing and dancing as ‘The Beaded and Hairy Lady’. The tour was enormously successful, and Pastrana fell pregnant with Lent’s child. While in Moscow in 1860, she gave birth to a son, also seemingly suffering from hypertrichosis. The child died after 35 hours and Pastrana passed away as a result of complications of the birth. Pastrana’s famous last words were, ‘I die happy; I have been loved for myself.’ Not to be outdone by death, Lent hired a Professor of Moscow University to embalm his wife and son and continued to tour with them until he was committed to a mental institution in 1884. 

As well as fascinating the general public, Pastrana was of special interest to the scientific world, particularly as the theory of evolution was emerging. Doctors of the day debated whether she was a cross between human and orang-utan, a distinct species in the chain of human evolution, or simply a woman suffering from a disfiguring condition. The great debate that surrounded Pastrana could not fail to catch the eye of the inquiring dentists of the Odontological Society of London when she was exhibited in the city in late 1850s. Sometime in the mid-nineteenth century, the Society came into the possession of a pair of casts of Pastrana’s upper and lower jaw. The exact origin of the casts in the Odontological Collection is disputed. They were possibly in the founding collection of the College of Dentists from 1856, which was later absorbed into the Odontological Society. It appears that in 1859, A. Thompson presented casts of Julia Pastrana and again in 1876, R. Hepburn presented the same casts. It is of course possible that the Society held several casts of Pastrana of which only one set now survives. The casts demonstrate that Pastrana was afflicted with gingival hyperplasia which caused an overgrowth of the gums which resulted in the enlarged appearance of her mouth. From discussions recorded in the Transactions of the Odontological Society, it seems that the members were interested in whether there was a connection between the condition of Pastrana’s teeth and her unique appearance.
 
The suspicions of the Victorian dentists turned out to be correct. There is indeed a link between congenital generalized hypertrichosis and the presence of gingival hyperplasia. Indeed the casts of Pastrana’s teeth have greatly contributed to the later diagnosis of her condition. Other dental casts in the Odontological Collection of figures such as the Aztec twins from London’s sideshows show the Society’s keen interest in whether bodily disease could be understood through the teeth.

Images:

1. Julia Pastrana, "the nondescript", advertised for exhibition of the famous bearded Lady.
   Coloured Woodcut and Text By: Regent Gallery (Regent Street, London, England)
   Published: W. Brickhill's Steam Printing Works.[London] (Kennington and Walworth Roads, 20 doors from the Elephant & Castle); Sourced from Wellcome Images
2. V0007256 Credit: Wellcome Library, London
   Julia Pastrana, a bearded lady. Reproduction of a photograph by G. Wick.
   By: George Wick; Sourced from Wellcome Images
3. Dental cast of the teeth of Julia Pastrana, from the Odontological Collection; Photo courtesy of the Hunterian Museum

Museum of Mexican Medicine (Museo de la Medicina Mexicana), Palace of the Inquisition, Mexico City

On our recent trip to Mexico, we stopped in at the Museum of Mexican Medicine (Museo de la Medicina Mexicana) located at the Palace of the Inquisition in Mexico City. On the Sunday we went, it was so completely mobbed that we could barely even push our way up through all the families taking cell phone photos of the amazing moulages to see much of them ourselves. It was lovely to see such a museum so popular on any day, let alone a Sunday.

You can see some of the photos from the trip above; click here to see a more complete set. You can find out more about the museum by clicking here.

The Wunderkammer Olbricht, Curated by Kunstkammer Georg Laue, Me Collectors Room, Berlin

One of our New Years Resolutions here at Morbid Anatomy is to sort and process forgotten photographs from trips gone by. To that end, here are some photos from a visit to the Kunstkammer Georg Laue-curated Wunderkammer Olbricht at Berlin's Me Collectors Room taken back in 2010; you can see a full set of image by clicking here. Below is information about the collection from the gallery website; you can find out more by clicking here.

THE WUNDERKAMMER OLBRICHT
The practice of maintaining ‘cabinets of curiosities’ evolved during the Renaissance and Baroque. Such cabinets were collectors’ rooms in which precious artworks (artificialia), rare phenomena of nature (naturalia), scientific instruments (scientifica), objects from strange worlds (exotica), and inexplicable items (mirabilia) were preserved. They reflected the standard of knowledge and view of the world at that time.

Berlin also had its Kunstkammer. Founded by Elector Joachim II (ruled 1535 – 1571) and almost completely destroyed during the Thirty Years War, it was rebuilt by Elector Friedrich Wilhelm and eventually found its home under Friedrich III in the newly expanded Stadtschloss (City Palace). Today the few remaining objects have been distributed around different museums that have become the successors to the cabinet of curiosities, albeit in a thematically differentiated way.

Our Wunderkammer reanimates this tradition in Berlin once more. It provides an insight into the past and manages to fulfil its original intention of some two to five centuries ago: to transport the visitor into a realm of sheer astonishment—whether by means of the legendary unicorn, ultimately exposed as the tusk of a narwhal, an amber mirror flooded with light fashioned from the “Gold of the North”, the coconut chalice that came into the possession of Alexander von Humboldt and which is adorned with images of Brazilian cannibals, preserved specimens of a Nile crocodile and a great blue turaco, or wooden cabinets that only reveal their mysteries to the curious eye.

The quality of the objects, numbering in excess of 200 from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, is unique and makes the Wunderkammer Olbricht one of the most important private collections of its kind.

The Kunstkammer Georg Laue, Munich, is responsible for the conception, the installation, and supervision of the Wunderkammer Olbricht.

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!

_______________________________________________

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.

_______________________________________________

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

_______________________________________________

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.

_______________________________________________

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.