Her Majesty's Furniture: The Bainbridge Firescreen, 1850

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This firescreen rests on trestle supports with turned and gilded uprights.  The frame is panel glazed and set with stuffed birds.  This unusual, yet handsome, piece comes from Great Britain and was made circa 1850.  

This is so very Victorian in design.  This was an era when taxidermy birds and animals were considered fashionable and appropriate accessories employed in a variety of uses.  Victorian artists were fascinated with nature and the culture as a whole was intrigued with the idea of exploring the natural world.  

Of course, as new animals were discovered, these same explorers were determined to find uses for their beautiful fur and plumage—not thinking that entire species would die out.  In one way, this use of animals is tragic, and, yet, we are somewhat fortunate in that many extinct species are still viewable because they’ve been preserved in works of art such as this.  

Many fire screens were employed to keep the direct heat of the fire off of those seated near the hearth.  This fire screen would not have been good for that. Taxidermy and fire don’t mix.  Instead, this would have made a handsome showpiece in the summer, hiding an empty, unused hearth.   

Unfolding Pictures: A Brazilian Bird Fan, 1880

The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at similar Brazilian fans before. They’re both lovely and horrible all at once. Yes, they’re pretty, but, when you think about the fact that there’s a dead bird stuck on them, it’s just kind of yucky, too. Still, they’re very interesting pieces and it’s a miracle any have survived.


This fan is composed of an ivory handle which rises into a base of pink feathers and a central portion of fluffy white marabou down. A stuffed hummingbird perches on sprays of roses and leaves made of pink, white and green feathers. The stems of the flowers are wire wrapped with silk. To tempt the hummingbird, three real beetles are attached to the feathery foliage. Surprisingly, the original box survives.

So…why?

Why a dead hummingbird? For some reason, during the last three decades of the Nineteenth Century, there was a real passion for using parts of dead animals as ornaments, both in fashion and the decorative arts. Though numerous writers wrote contemporary articles about “the barbarities inherent in this trade,” the fashion continued to grow in popularity.

Gifts of Grandeur: A Pair of Bird Head Earrings, c. 1865

Bird Head Earrings
Harry Emanuel, 1865
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In this case, I use “grandeur” loosely.  In fact, the heading should read, “Gifts of Horror”—unless of course you really like taxidermy.  I know people who do.  So, these are for you.

In the Nineteenth Century, especially toward the end, dead birds were all the rage in fashion.  The mounting of small birds (or—even better!--their heads) was quite  fashionable in jewelry in the 1860s and 1870s.

These earrings were made around 1865 by Harry Emanuel (1825-1898).  They feature the head of a feathered bird with a gold bill, red paste eyes (shudder) and gold backs. 

A visitor to Harry Emanuel's shop in 1865 described items in stock as including “humming birds' heads mounted in necklaces and earrings, complete humming bird heads, breasts and bodies, found in South America and perhaps prepared in the United States.”   So well-received was this fashion that it was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1872.

 

The Home Beautiful: The Butterflies and Ferns Firescreen, 1881



The Victoria & Albert Museum



We have examined other firescreens which were made to be placed in front of an empty fireplace in the summer both for a decorative effect and to reduce drafts. These screens often were fitted with panels of needlework or beaded textiles, painted scenes, or, in the case of this small screen, preserved wildlife or taxidermy. This lovely screen contains real ferns and butterflies which have been sandwiched between two layers of glass. A delicate frame of Japanese bamboo supports this natural scene of local flora and fauna.

Model & Co. of London was a specialist manufacturer of bamboo furniture from 1881-1900. In 1881, this screen by Model & Co. was praised for its beauty and originality, putting the company in the position of being labeled as “the aristocrats of bamboo manufacturers.”

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Bainbridge Firescreen, 1850

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This firescreen rests on trestle supports with turned and gilded uprights.  The frame is panel glazed and set with stuffed birds.  This unusual, yet handsome, piece comes from Great Britain and was made circa 1850. 

This is so very Victorian in design.  This was an era when taxidermy birds and animals were considered fashionable and appropriate accessories employed in a variety of uses.  Victorian artists were fascinated with nature and the culture as a whole was intrigued with the idea of exploring the natural world. 

Of course, as new animals were discovered, these same explorers were determined to find uses for their beautiful fur and plumage—not thinking that entire species would die out.  In one way, this use of animals is tragic, and, yet, we are somewhat fortunate in that many extinct species are still viewable because they’ve been preserved in works of art such as this. 

Many fire screens were employed to keep the direct heat of the fire off of those seated near the hearth.  This fire screen would not have been good for that.  Taxidermy and fire don’t mix.  Instead, this would have made a handsome showpiece in the summer, hiding an empty, unused hearth.   

Unfolding Pictures: A Brazilian Bird Fan, 1880

The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at similar Brazilian fans before. They’re both lovely and horrible all at once. Yes, they’re pretty, but, when you think about the fact that there’s a dead bird stuck on them, it’s just kind of yucky, too. Still, they’re very interesting pieces and it’s a miracle any have survived.


This fan is composed of an ivory handle which rises into a base of pink feathers and a central portion of fluffy white marabou down. A stuffed hummingbird perches on sprays of roses and leaves made of pink, white and green feathers. The stems of the flowers are wire wrapped with silk. To tempt the hummingbird, three real beetles are attached to the feathery foliage. Surprisingly, the original box survives.

So…why?

Why a dead hummingbird? For some reason, during the last three decades of the Nineteenth Century, there was a real passion for using parts of dead animals as ornaments, both in fashion and the decorative arts. Though numerous writers wrote contemporary articles about “the barbarities inherent in this trade,” the fashion continued to grow in popularity.