Anthropomorphic taxidermy is an art form that was quite popular in the Victorian era. As author Rebecca Burgan writes in an article titled Anthropomorphic taxidermy: How Dead Rodents Became the Darlings of the Victorian Age:
"The practice of taxidermy allowed people to honor their precious pets by stuffing and mounting them for eternity. Preserving dead animals also satisfied scientific curiosity, as well as the desire for protected beauty." (Rebecca Burgan, published in Atlas Obscura, December 5, 2014).
This particular art form, which is derived from 'regular' taxidermy, and which, I must admit, may appear morbid to many of us today, shows stuffed small animals engaging in human activities like reading, playing cards or musical instruments, having afternoon tea, etc.
The rat "reading a book" pictured above is from my own collection. It's a contemporary specimen which I bought some time ago. Apparently, the process of preparing such a delicate critter for display is not easy and quite time consuming, which makes it rather expensive. This particular example is mounted in a straight position underneath a glass dome. It is shown reading a book which sits on a book stand.
I'm pretty fond of my 'pet rat,' and that may be the main reason for sharing her with you here. For those interested in the subject I highly recommend Rebecca Burgan's article which you can access on the Atlas Obscura web site by clicking HERE.
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