Kendall House Antiques Ltd. has dated this Victorian Bird Taxidermy Dome to the 1900s.
50cm Diameter x 50cm High.
Until purchasing this case, I had never heard of this taxidermist.
The trade label gives his address as ‘8 Park Terrace’ but Pollard has put a line through this and altered it to read “48 Park Road, Regents Park, London NW” presumably due to a change of address.
It turns out that A. Pollard was a prominent taxidermist and naturalist in London in the late 19th & early 20th Century, and is noted as being ex Rowland Wards, hence the similarity. Wards being the famous London taxidermists who’s trade mark “the Jungle” says it all.
But there is an interesting twist. Pollards was featured in print, the famous lithograph titled "Naturalist, Furrier, Plumassier" is from the illustrated book "High Street" which was printed in 1938.
Out of all the shops and taxidermy establishments it was A Pollards that was chosen. With out this little coincidence, I think old Pollards might just have slipped through the net. And it turns out to be quite a special little book too!
Notes: The book “High Street” is a celebrated collaboration between architectural historian J.M. Richards and artist Eric Ravilious that became an iconic, rare collector's item due to the destruction of its printing plates during the London Blitz. It offers a nostalgic snapshot of specialized British shops just before World War II.
Eric Ravilious spent years seeking out and sketching a variety of unique London and country shopfronts, many with an appealing Victorian aesthetic.
The book was published in 1938 by Country Life with text provided by Ravilious's friend, the architectural writer James Maude Richards. It featured 24 full-page, colour lithograph illustrations covering a diverse range of establishments, including a family butcher, a submarine engineer, an oyster bar, and taxidermist.
Only about 2,000 copies of the original first edition were ever printed. The book achieved its rare and highly collectible status primarily because the original lithographic stones used for the illustrations were destroyed in 1942 during a German bombing raid on the Curwen Press premises in Plaistow, East London. The Country Life warehouse was also hit, leading to the loss of unsold copies. This destruction made further original printings impossible, cutting the book's initial run short and cementing its place as one of the most sought-after artist's books of the 20th century.
Due to high demand and the original book's scarcity, several facsimile editions have been published, most notably by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Condition: To be fair the bird is not perfect and is faded, but never the less it’s still an important and spectacular example.
Included in the sale of this Greater Bird of Paradise is a facsimile copy of the “High Street” published by the V&A. The originals of this book are currently trading for circa £5000, we are asking considerably less, for a very rare example of the actual taxidermists work plus a far less rare facsimile copy the book “High Street”.
Please see images for extracts from “High Street”
For more information on The Greater Bird of Paradise, see “Drawn from Paradise” by David Attenborough & Errol Fuller, published in 2012, which tells another remarkable story all of its own.
Kendall House Antiques Ltd. has dated this Victorian Bird Taxidermy Dome to the 1900s.
Kendall house antiques a traditional shop in the north cotswold’s market town of chipping campden.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Kendall House Antiques Ltd. Profile Page
Victorian Taxidermy – Greater Bird of Paradise by a Pollard. Circa 1900
