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Birmingham museum and art gallery.

Hello, this is my first post on this forum. I had the great pleasure of working in the Natural History Department of Birmingham‘s Museum and Art Gallery, briefly, some 30 plus years ago. The large crab referred to was actually a Spider Crab, and the stuffed tiger was a composite creature made from two specimens. I was told that artificial reeds or grasses were strategically positioned to hide one of the more obvious “joins”.
It was my job one year to decorate the stuffed reindeer for Christmas. I hung baubles and tinsel on his antlers and felt most artistic.
 
Mike, wings and feathers on hats were a real problem to exotic birds in the early 1900's. The fashions were so extravagant that Emily Williamson started the Society for the Protection of Birds which led to the 1921 Plumage Protection Act of 1921. Together with other women she campaigned against the use of feathers on hats and in New York one woman had the hat torn from her head. Emily joined forces with the Fur, Fin and Feather Folk to fight against this fashion bringing about the above act, years later resulting in the founding of the RSPB. The following from their history tells more of the story.

'From the 1870s to the 1920s the fashion for feathers in ladies’ hats was huge and tragically driving birds such as little egrets, great crested grebes and birds of paradise towards extinction.

The campaign against this ‘murderous millinery’ was fought on all fronts. RSPB supporters across the country wrote letters to women wearing feather hats, spoke to the shopkeepers that stocked them, and sought influence with prominent figures from politicians to the royal family'.Hats.jpg

Now back to the real topic before I get the sack.....
 
Used to go to the Birmingham Art Gallery a lot when we were children. It was one of the few places open on Sunday afternoons. The picture of Corporation Street (post #6) was always a fascination to me. It was on the wall just up the flight of stairs by the main entrance. Still there the last time I saw it about 10 years ago.
 
Used to go to the Birmingham Art Gallery a lot when we were children. It was one of the few places open on Sunday afternoons. The picture of Corporation Street (post #6) was always a fascination to me. It was on the wall just up the flight of stairs by the main entrance. Still there the last time I saw it about 10 years ago.
Me too! My friend and I would set off on a Sunday afternoon with a few pennies in our pockets and take the bus to town. We were really supposed to be putting the money in the Sunday School plate. For me it was the Pre-raphaelite paintings with their glowing colours and detail. 'The Leaving of England', 'The Blind Girl'.
 
Hello, this is my first post on this forum. I had the great pleasure of working in the Natural History Department of Birmingham‘s Museum and Art Gallery, briefly, some 30 plus years ago. The large crab referred to was actually a Spider Crab, and the stuffed tiger was a composite creature made from two specimens. I was told that artificial reeds or grasses were strategically positioned to hide one of the more obvious “joins”.
It was my job one year to decorate the stuffed reindeer for Christmas. I hung baubles and tinsel on his antlers and felt most artistic.
I used to love the Natural History department. Was always my first ports of call as a child & as an adult too. I was really disappointed when the department went. I know some specimens got damaged by flooding, so they must have taken the decision to revamp that area entirely.
 
I too remember 'the Blind Girl' for a very special reason. I must have been no more than six or seven years old when my Mum took me to the gallery. I got bored and ran off and was found seated on the floor in front of that painting sobbing my eyes out because she couldn't see the rainbow. Only to be told that my Grandad had done almost exactly the same thing just after the turn of the century. He would have been around 5 in 1903 and it is strange that the same painting had such an effect on both of us.
 
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