What is it about?
Life and times of a nineteenth-century bird stuffer (taxidermist) based in New Zealand. Although he tried to find work in a museum he was unsuccessful. He sold some specimens to Auckland Museum and after he died his collection was put up for auction at which point Otago Museum acquired over 100 bird skins.
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Why is it important?
Adds to the histories of nineteenth-century working naturalists in New Zealand especially those who made a precarious living.
Perspectives
It's always fascinating to piece together the life-story of someone long dead. This collaboration between myself, a historian, and Brian Gill an ornithologist brought our specialist areas of expertise together to shed light on past museum practices and taxidermy
Dr Rosi Crane
Otago Museum
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: William Smyth (1838–1913), a commercial taxidermist of Dunedin, New Zealand, Archives of Natural History, October 2018, Edinburgh University Press,
DOI: 10.3366/anh.2018.0521.
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Contributors
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