While researching the history of dime museums a few posts back, I reacquainted myself with Wunderkammer, or Cabinets of Curiousities, which proliferated in the 16th and 17th centuries, and were the precursors of modern-day museums. These cabinets often featured collections of natural history specimens such as skeletons, stuffed animals, and fetuses. Oftentimes, they contained ethnic (or just downright eclectic artifacts), brought from distant lands.

Some even consider the Internet to be a form of Wunderkammer.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

As you may or may not recall from Biology class (or in my case, from repeated late-night viewings of Frankenstein), the use of cadavers in the study of human anatomy was greatly frowned upon at one time, and even when the practice became legal, the lack of proper embalming techniques meant they were only viable for a short time. Cadavers were also in chronic short-supply, so medical academies not inclined to resort to the services of graverobbers in the dead of night employed another option; realistic anatomical models carved in wood, cast in wax, or fashioned from papier mache. These models were not only useful in the teaching of anatomy, they were often works of art in their own right.

There was a large contingent of Italian and French artists involved in the production of these models, and you can still view the somewhat macabre La Specola collection of Florence's Museo Zoologico and the incredibly beautiful models of Clemente Susini at the University of Cagliari. The Smithsonian History Museum here in the US has an excellent collection of papier mache models created by French physician, Louis Auzoux.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 9:23 AM | Permalink

Dime museums were not exhibits of 10-cent coins, they were entertaining and (arguably) educational collections of strange objects, natural wonders, and exotic people, that were extremely popular in the 19th and early 20th Century. Admission typically cost a dime, hence the name.

At first, they were set up in theaters, circus midways, or store fronts, but in 1849, P.T. Barnum opened one of the first permanent dime museums in New York; it quickly became the most popular museum in the city. Barnum eventually abandoned the museum in 1868 to embark on his better-known circus career. Other famous dime museums include Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle and The Niagra Falls Museum in Canada (recently closed).

Dime museums are undergoing something of a renaissance these days. The American Dime Museum in Baltimore and Johnny Fox's Freakatorium in New York are two modern-day additions to the form.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 6:18 PM | Permalink

Meet Harold B. Haxton, the toga-wearing film auteur who created B-movie classics like, Mars Needs Chicken! and Newtrino the Atomic Newt, then disappeared mysteriously without a trace.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 5:04 PM | Permalink