At New York’s Natural History Museum
I’m on my way home today, but yesterday I went to the Natural History Museum, an experience I recall from childhood with affection. It’s so huge that it would take many days to really cover it, and I was only there for about four hours, but I did see some old favorites.
First, though, I had to wait in line outside in the pouring rain. I’m not sure why there were so many people there, but there certainly were. But the wait was worth it.
Of course the dinosaurs were a beloved favorite. But I decided that it was the dioramas that still enchanted me. I usually don’t like stuffed animals, but these are so well done – with vegetation in the foreground and beautifully painted backgrounds, and the animals posed so realistically – that I still was transfixed by them.
Here was my favorite – or certainly one of my favorites. My photo doesn’t even begin to do it justice: the impressive size of it, the 3-D nature of it, and the delicate little flowers in front. But here it is anyway:
https://ansp.org/exhibits/dioramas/
We held our wedding dinner reception in the halls of the (then) Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences (now “of Drexel University”), largely because of the beauty of the dioramas there. Great stuff.
Here is a real (not photo shopped) image from the Colorado Rockies
https://www.14ers.com/forum/download/file.php?id=39384
I used to love going there too, starting with field trips as a child, and great memories of the planetarium. I also lived very close by for a while. But I think it would make me sick to visit after the removal of the majesticTheodore Roosevelt statue. I am still angry over all the vandalism of the Great Awokening and the cowardice of our administrative classes.
Here are a couple more that you might like
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DPByeYGqVBE/T6GznxQtk7I/AAAAAAAADz8/IttzWSZYEok/s800/More%2520mountain%2520goats%2520There%2520were%25202%2520little%2520ones.jpg
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z281/vickimeier/TourDAbyss081.jpg
http://www.14ers.com/forum/download/file.php?id=7507
https://www.14ers.com/forum/download/file.php?id=8598
https://www.14ers.com/forum/download/file.php?id=8883
The Natural History Museum and the Bronx Zoo were the highlights of my elementary age visits to NYC. Those visits were, of course, before my 8th grade overnight class trip to NYC.
NancyB:
Yes, the statue removal was repugnant. But funny thing, his name is all over the inside of the building.
I seem to recall the statue removal had something to do with the depiction of the Native American (erstwhile Indian).
The Denver Museum of Natural History also had many of those diorama also. I, too, as a kid thought they were great. Then the museum went woke. Not sure how many are left. Not many the last time I was there about 20 years ago. Maybe Shirehome can comment.
I visited it when I was in middle school. I’d like to see it again.
Last time I visited it felt less intimate than I remembered. I don’t know exactly why, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as I wished it to be. Maybe it has been made too clean and shiny 🙂
Thanks for sharing, it’d be a good place to take my grandsons who live close enough
Chuck:
Perhaps it was because it was very crowded? When I was a kid it always seemed to be nearly empty when I went. It was packed this time. But not the dioramas.
Physicsguy, I have never been to the Denver Nat Hist Musem. My Wife probably has been, since she lived not far from there and went to East High.
Very nice post, Neo. As a child I enjoyed the dioramas at the Field Museum in Chicago. Also the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton and the creepy mummies.