Albatross stuffed and mounted in a case
Date1899
Object number00015712
NameAlbatross
MediumBird: Albatross, feathers, eggshell, wood, glass, paint. Species unidentified - could be wandering albatross or a royal albatross.
DimensionsOverall: 830 x 994 x 508 mm, 30.8 kg
ClassificationsAnimals and animal products
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis stuffed albatross mounted in a glass display case dates to the late 19th century. Taxidermy by this time had become a popular method of display as interest and awareness in the natural world had increased..HistoryBy the late 19th century taxidermy had reached a level of expertise that now saw animals and birds artfully displayed in replica habitats and cabinets that could tastefully be displayed in the home.
Many travellers saw native fauna and birds as the ideal memento to bring home from their journey and an albatross such a this would undoubtedly have been prepared as an interesting and unusual specimen of a seabird, especially considering its special significance to sailors. It is not unusual to read in various accounts of travel by sea that a crew member would shoot an albatross for a passenger to take home as a souvenir of the journey. With refrigeration, albatross bodies could be frozen until they reached port and a taxidermist. Alternatively, a crew member may have had the skills to prepare the bird on board.SignificanceThe albatross has always had an intricate link with sailors superstitions and myths. It is traditionally thought to be bad luck to kill an albatross as they were thought to embody the soul of dead mariners. In Coleridge's well-known poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the narrator, after shooting an albatross, is forced to wear the dead bird around his neck by the other crew members as penance for inflicting bad luck on the ship by his actions.
