Denver Museum of Nature and Science - South America Exhibit - Patagonia (Guanacos) - circa 1960-1961

Credits: Background artist, Tim Prutzer; animal preparator, Albert C. Rogers; animal restoration, Leonard McCann and Kent Ullberg; foreground preparation and installation, Jack D. Putnam, Robert J. Niedrach, Robert L. Akerley, Jack Conley, Norma Lovelace and Trudy Pierce.

Subject: Diorama portrays guanacos in the rolling treeless grazing land of Patagonia, South America.

Photo credit: Daniel J. Schneider, 2010

Denver Museum of Nature and Science - Northern and Rare Birds Exhibit - Spring Migration, Seward Peninsula - circa 1940

Credits: Background artist, C. Waldo Love; animal collectors, Kenneth King and Henry Wichers Inchumuk; preparators, Henry Wichers Inchumuk and Jack Putnam.

Subject: Diorama portrays drifting ice floes, populated by migratory sea birds and waterfowl in the Bering Strait in mid-June.

Photo Credits: Top: DMNS staff - Bottom: Daniel J. Schneider, 2010

I’ve encountered a bit of a mystery with this diorama. The top photograph is from the DMNS’s website, and the bottom photograph was taken by Dan on our recent trip to the museum. As you can see, the background is clearly the same, but the birds and the rocks are slightly different. I am positive this is the same diorama, but I was not aware of the museum having rearranged or changed the diorama in recent years. I could not find a date on the museum’s photograph, but the diorama was constructed in 1940.

If anyone reading this has any information on this mystery I’d appreciate knowing more!

bad-postcards:

“IT’S A SMALL WORLD, even for small fry, at the DELLS MINIRAMA. Located in downtown Wisconsin Dells, MINIRAMA shows in miniature all the outstanding scenic features of the famed Dells of the Wisconsin River. Trains and boats electronically propelled add sound and movement to this outstanding display.”

I am fairly sure this is a diorama and not live, but I have no idea from which museum. I know it is not at DMNS or AMNH.

Via Old Chum

American Museum of Natural History

Tabor Robak

Holographs: dioramas of the future?

American Museum of Natural History - Installation of Bald Eagle Group, Sanford Hall of North American Birds, circa 1962

Credits: preparator, George Peterson; photograph, Alex J. Rota

The preparator almost looks as if he is feeding and petting the eagle. His shadow cast on the wall breaks the illusion however, but I like that a lot. I think the diorama images I enjoy the most are the ones where the seams of the diorama are shown, whether it be lights on the glass, shadows, people working in the dioramas, etc.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science - North American Hall - West Indian Manatees - circa 1982

Credits: Background artist, Carlota Espinoza; original source photographers, Robin Boast and Steve Rich on Museum’s 1980 expedition; model preparators, Dennis McElvain and Nell Ashton.

Subject: Diorama portrays an underwater scene in the Crystal River of Florida.

When I was a kid this particular diorama used to scare the crap out of me because of my fear of underwater at the time. It has one of those rotating lights that create the illusion of being underwater, and the hallway is darkened, so it’s quite frightening when you are small. Now I just think it is beautiful.

Untitled (The Artist at Work) - Klaus Scherubel

American Museum of Natural History - Hall of North American Mammals - Alaskan Brown Bear - circa 1940