We also have specimens in Sunderland Museum from travelling menageries (including Wombwell's). These were mounted by William Yellowley, a taxidermist living in South Shields. I get the impression that Wombwell would send animals by train to interested taxidermists - the rail service being so reliable in those days that you could guarantee the animal hadn't gone 'off' before it arrived.
Incidentally, one of those films by Mitchell and Kenyon shows a fairground and in the background is one of Wombwell's shows, with (as I recall) large animals in cages in front of the tent presumably to entice visitors.
Best wishes
Les Jessop
-----Original Message-----
From: History of Natural History on behalf of Robert Ralph
Sent: Wed 11/9/2005 5:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [HIST-NAT-HIST] george wombwell
Dear Simon
No problem, here is the original message. Thank you.
In the Aberdeen University Zoology Department Museum we have two
skeletons, a tapir and a tiger, that are attributed to George
Wombwell's travelling menagerie. Presumably they are from animals
that died on visits to the north-east. George Wombwell was a well
known 19th century showman - and his menagerie went the length and
breadth of the country for many years. I would be interested in
knowing if other collections have any of his specimens and if there is
any archive of his correspondence, publicity material and so on. I'm
sure much of it is ephemeral in local newspapers and so on and there
are several accounts of the man that come up on a Google search, but if
there is anything in more depth I would appreciate hearing about it, or
about any of his showman competitors.
Dr Robert Ralph
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