To Have and to Hold

Hunting and Natural History in the Nineteenth Century

Although somewhat counter to our modern sensibilities, ornithology and natural history were synonymous with the killing of animals during the early nineteenth century.  A new exhibit in the lobby of Ladd Library explores some of the complex issues surrounding the tension between the destruction and preservation of animals during the century, which by its end saw the birth of the modern animal rights movement. The exhibit includes the rare Bien edition of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America, displayed in a special case designed by Thomas Mosher; early animal rights protest literature, including examples of Animal World, published by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and a selection of illustrated British Colonial hunting books, most of which were self-published and self-aggrandizing accounts of the hunters and their exploits.

 

The works on view are drawn from the extensive natural history library of Johnny Stanton, the first professor of Greek and Latin at Bates College, an avid bird enthusiast, and namesake of the famed “Stanton Ride,” a nature walk and orientation program for incoming freshman.  A related exhibit, exploring the relationship between hunting and the environmental movement which includes memorabilia from the Edmund S. Muskie Papers, is on display in the lobby of the Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library.

Past Exhibits