http://www.examiner.com/article/big...a-natural-history-museum-symbol-meeting-place
Here is the article but click on the link for pictures.
During the centennial year, revisiting a museum’s history of its most famous symbol, a rogue African bush elephant donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Resurrected by the taxidermy staff and unveiled in 1959, it was hailed as the world’s largest land mammal on display in any museum.
In 1955, Josef J. Fénykövi was a 65 year old Hungarian-born engineer and big game hunter, and uses the name Jose, while living in Madrid. This safari was to hunt in the dense bush tracking a gigantic foot print at three feet across found in the Cuando River region of southeastern Angola.
Any elephant matching that foot print was gigantic, and Fénykövi knew that he was not prepared with enough men or equipment; therefore, he planned to return following year with everything needed to be successful. Details about the hunt are in this article of the 1955, Sports Illustrated.
More pictures.
http://malomil.blogspot.com/2015/01/angola-por-jose-fenykovi.html
Smithsonian Institution’s taxidermists, led by Chief Taxidermist, William L. Brown, spent sixteen months preparing the animal for exhibition. Studying living African elephants, they made many sketches and photographs, and discovered that the raised trunk was an elephant greeting to friends.
Smithsonian taxidermist’s team used over 10,000 pounds of clay to shape the life-size model of the body, over an armature of wood, metal lathe, plaster, and sisal fiber. They had to work in a special plastic house supplied with steam to keep the clay from drying out, and the taxidermists were in bathing suits due to high humid temperatures with mountains of muddy wet clay,
A Three sections model was developed in two halves: 1), the body, and 2), the head. The skin, tanned in three pieces, was laid on top of the clay model and every wrinkle painstakingly restored. A plaster and sisal fiber mold was then made on top of the skin to hold it in position.
This produced a thin-walled manikin, very tough and durable. The two body halves and head were joined together and fastened with wood ribs from inside the body, via a trap door cut in the stomach to remove all of the clay, frames and even the moles from inside.
The Fénykövi elephant (recently nicked named Henry-no reference why) had been restored several times, including its setting or exhibit that it stands upon in the Rotunda has changed over half a century of greeting visitors. The Elephant has been the traditional meeting place for families and school groups forever. “Meet me at the Elephant”
For more info about Fenykovi's Elephant:
Height: From ground to withers, 13 feet 2 inches.
Length: From trunk tip to tail tip in straight line, 27 feet 6 inches;
Whole skin from trunk tip to tail tip, 33 feet 2 inches.
Feet Length: Front, 2 feet; rear, 2 feet 1 inch.
Feet Circumference: Front, 5 feet 7 inches; rear 5 feet 2 inches.
Body Circumference: The widest point, 19 feet 8 inches.
Total Hide: weighs 2 tons
Here is the article but click on the link for pictures.
During the centennial year, revisiting a museum’s history of its most famous symbol, a rogue African bush elephant donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Resurrected by the taxidermy staff and unveiled in 1959, it was hailed as the world’s largest land mammal on display in any museum.
In 1955, Josef J. Fénykövi was a 65 year old Hungarian-born engineer and big game hunter, and uses the name Jose, while living in Madrid. This safari was to hunt in the dense bush tracking a gigantic foot print at three feet across found in the Cuando River region of southeastern Angola.
Any elephant matching that foot print was gigantic, and Fénykövi knew that he was not prepared with enough men or equipment; therefore, he planned to return following year with everything needed to be successful. Details about the hunt are in this article of the 1955, Sports Illustrated.
More pictures.
http://malomil.blogspot.com/2015/01/angola-por-jose-fenykovi.html
Smithsonian Institution’s taxidermists, led by Chief Taxidermist, William L. Brown, spent sixteen months preparing the animal for exhibition. Studying living African elephants, they made many sketches and photographs, and discovered that the raised trunk was an elephant greeting to friends.
Smithsonian taxidermist’s team used over 10,000 pounds of clay to shape the life-size model of the body, over an armature of wood, metal lathe, plaster, and sisal fiber. They had to work in a special plastic house supplied with steam to keep the clay from drying out, and the taxidermists were in bathing suits due to high humid temperatures with mountains of muddy wet clay,
A Three sections model was developed in two halves: 1), the body, and 2), the head. The skin, tanned in three pieces, was laid on top of the clay model and every wrinkle painstakingly restored. A plaster and sisal fiber mold was then made on top of the skin to hold it in position.
This produced a thin-walled manikin, very tough and durable. The two body halves and head were joined together and fastened with wood ribs from inside the body, via a trap door cut in the stomach to remove all of the clay, frames and even the moles from inside.
The Fénykövi elephant (recently nicked named Henry-no reference why) had been restored several times, including its setting or exhibit that it stands upon in the Rotunda has changed over half a century of greeting visitors. The Elephant has been the traditional meeting place for families and school groups forever. “Meet me at the Elephant”
For more info about Fenykovi's Elephant:
Height: From ground to withers, 13 feet 2 inches.
Length: From trunk tip to tail tip in straight line, 27 feet 6 inches;
Whole skin from trunk tip to tail tip, 33 feet 2 inches.
Feet Length: Front, 2 feet; rear, 2 feet 1 inch.
Feet Circumference: Front, 5 feet 7 inches; rear 5 feet 2 inches.
Body Circumference: The widest point, 19 feet 8 inches.
Total Hide: weighs 2 tons
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