Dead Ringer? Visitors' Understanding of Taxidermy as Authentic and Educational Museum Exhibits

ABSTRACT

Museum professionals value authentic museum specimens because they are believed to promote inspirational and educational experiences for visitors; however, limited research has tested whether visitors value museum specimens in these ways. In this study, 4- to 10-year-olds and adults (n = 228), who were visiting the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, were asked to explain whether a taxidermied rabbit belonged in a museum and could help museum visitors learn about rabbits. Participants responded about a taxidermied rabbit that was presented either as a touchable object, inside an exhibition case, or alongside a realistic soft toy rabbit because this was expected to provide a useful context to support children's responses. As expected, the number of visitors who thought that the taxidermied rabbit belonged in a museum and could help visitors learn about rabbits increased with age and was greater when it was presented alongside the toy rabbit. Visitors explained their decisions by referring to the stillness of the taxidermied animal that permitted detailed study, its authentic features, and its previous status as a living animal. Implications for promoting visitors' understanding of taxidermy are discussed.

Acknowledgments

I thank Janet Stott, Chris Jarvis, and the staff at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford, England, for accommodating the research; Christina Hadjiyianni, Mary-Emma Smith, and Marcin Hutnik for their assistance during data collection; and all of the participants who gave up their time during their museum visit to participate.

About the author

Dr. Louise Bunce is a Chartered Psychologist and works as a Senior Lecturer in Human Development. Her research explores children's developing concept of what is “real” and the effect of understanding reality on cognitive development. She would be delighted to hear from museum professionals regarding their experiences that relate to this research to learn more about ways to help visitors understand authenticity. Address correspondence to: Louise Bunce, Department of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health, Oxford Brookes University, Jack Straws Lane, Marston, Oxford, OX3 0FL, England. E-mail: [email protected].

Notes

1. Although being of natural origin does not necessarily make something museum worthy, natural specimens are authentic in the sense that they are not manufactured.

2. Arguably, some features of manufactured animals could be considered authentic, such as their shape or the relationship between particular features, but manufactured animals tend not to be made of organic matter from the living animal and cannot be judged as authentic on the basis of their unnatural origins. Conversely, it could be argued that a taxidermied animal has been fashioned through a manufacturing process of a kind; however, this does not change its status as authentic in light of its natural origins.

3. Reasons given following answers of “no” were as follows: The most common reason (n = 25) given for why the taxidermied rabbit did not belong in the museum was because it belongs elsewhere (e.g., “It should belong in the wild,” “They don't live in museums”). The main reason why the taxidermied animal was seen as not educational (n = 11) related to prior knowledge of the visitor or lack of available information (e.g., “I already know about them,” “Not without something giving you more information,” “You can't see it in its natural habitat, it's not in motion, it's just sitting there”). The second most frequent reason (n = 7) was because it was not alive and/or that it would be preferable to learn from a live one (e.g., “It's not alive anymore,” “If you want to learn about rabbits then you study real ones, live ones”). The third most frequent type of reason (n = 6) was that it was not authentic (e.g., “It's a model,” “It doesn't really feel like a rabbit”). The remaining responses were uninformative (n = 12).