Trained Animal Exhibit 1904 Those were apparently some tough Great Danes!!!
Zoological Exhibit 1904 Can you imagine what an undertaking it was to set up these "naturalistic" exhibits, temporarily?
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Hagenbecks Animal Exhibits--St. Louis Worlds Fair
Trained Animal Exhibit 1904 Those were apparently some tough Great Danes!!!
Zoological Exhibit 1904 Can you imagine what an undertaking it was to set up these "naturalistic" exhibits, temporarily?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
Don't know what building materials were used on the animal exhibits but most of the Fair building were covered with "staff". I think that's the spelling but material was made of plaster and straw. Workers would go around every morning repairing holes in the buildings exteriors. The animal "mountians" might have been a combination, some concrete where needed and staff for decoration. As far as how long it took to build the Fair: it was to be the 1903 Fair but it wasn't ready. One can still see the Palace of Fine Arts, now the St. Louis Art Museum, in Forest Park and a few buildings at Washington U.
These exhibits may have been the first big scale moated exhibits. The moated exhibits were developed by a Swiss architect, Urs Eggenschwyler. Hagenbeck brought the patent from Urs. The Fair exhibits might have been the first major use of the moated exhibit. I often saw Hagenbeck's Tiergarten credited as the first use in 1908. I suggest Hagenbeck tried them out in the U.S. in 1904 before building permanent displays that opened in 1908 in Germany.
Jim,
Good stuff, friend. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, like all the Exposition's of that time are really difficult for me to wrap my brain around. Such a massive, massive undertaking it would seem, and it must have seemed like "another world" for the people who were lucky enough to see them. Just incredible.
Your insight about the moated exhibits being developed by Urs Eggenschwyler and the patent being bought by Hagenbeck was news to me. If you recall, I have questioned for some time the claim that Hagenbeck was the originator of the idea. Just to many early example's of similar exhibits/rockwork used, that it is inconceivable that he did not see the concept someplace else before, granted as single species exhibits. Maybe the "Panorama Exhibit" could be credited to him with the geographical concept, but not the moated exhibit for sure. He was such an incredible self promoter, and I think any claim by a self promoter need's to be scrutinized, from a historical perspective. To think that possibly, St. Louis and the United States was the first major use of the moated exhibit is indeed exciting to think about, as it is often referenced as an example of European zoological superiority.
Wade
Before I get caught by RJR or other knowledgeable person, forget my news about Urs and Hagenbeck. Urs was the artifical rock guy but Hagenbeck did come up with the "panorama" and moated exhibits (as far as we know). Eggenschwyler was a sculptor among other talents and created the rockwork in several early exhibits. As to the time of the STL and the opening of the Tiergarten, I'm sticking with that.
Jim,
I am not even so sure about the "Panorama Exhibit" being Hagenbecks:
The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Hagenbeck's Artic Panorama
The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Vintage Berlin Aquarium
Wade
Post a Comment