Enter Victorian taxidermist Walter Potter's fantasy world of rabbit schoolchildren, cigar-smoking squirrels and exemplary feline etiquette at the kittens' tea party...
WALTER POTTER (1835-1918), a country taxidermist of no great expertise, built anthropomorphic taxidermy tableaux that became famous icons of Victorian whimsy. His tiny museum in Bramber, Sussex, was crammed full of multi-legged kittens, two-headed lambs and a bewildering assortment of curios. Closed in the 1970s, the museum was re-established in Brighton, Arundel and Cornwall before being auctioned off in 2003. It was reported that a £1M bid by Damien Hirst to keep the collection intact was refused. Many of Potter's most famous pieces were reunited for the acclaimed 2010 Museum of Everything exhibition co-curated by legendary pop artist Sir Peter Blake.
The dispersal of Potter's museum, which delighted visitors for nearly 150 years, means the loss of a truly unique Victorian legacy. Here, perhaps for the last time, the collection is preserved and celebrated with new photographs of Potter's best-loved works.
www.walterpottertaxidermy.com
Walter Potter's Curious World of Taxidermy is one of the most important books I've read on Victorian taxidermy in months. It's like Jude the Obscure, but with squirrels.
