Friday, November 19, 2010

Antique Image of the Day: Obaysch the Hippopotamus, 1852

Obaysch, 1852
The Royal Collection
Perhaps one of the most popular attractions at the London Zoo in the 1850’s was Obaysch the Hippopotamus. Obaysch had been presented to the British Consul in 1850 by the Viceroy of Egypt. Visitors to the London Zoo flocked to see this creature—the likes of which they’d never seen before. Seen here in this 1852 salt print laid on card, Obaysch doesn’t look terribly happy to be in the zoo, but the spectators seem rather interested in him.


Obaysch was such a sensation that he even inspired a sculpture by Carl Fabergé which was acquired by Queen Alexandra in 1900.




Queen Alexandra's Agate Hippo
The Royal Collection

1 comment:

SherR said...

He is sweet.

One thing I find interesting about London Zoo is that the neucleus of the collection came from the estate of George IV. George IV loved animals and someone made a very unkind contemporary print of him mourning the loss of his belove pet giraffe. After George IV died, his brother & sucessor William IV donated the deceased king's remaining pets to the incepent London Zoo.