All rights reserved. The walrus was spared this fate probably because he was so heavy and funny looking. He took centre stage in a temporary exhibition Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing that drew 136,000 people into the gallery. London SE23 3PQ. It certainly is for one famously overstuffed walrus. fine collection of over 400 birds and 68 mammals, Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing. Since working here and finding out more about the collections my appreciation for the Horniman has increased. In May, the star attraction at the Horniman Museum and Gardens left the institution he has occupied for more than 100 years to spend the summer at the Turner Contemporary in Margate. Our Natural History Gallery first opened in 1901. It most likely came from the Hudson Bay area of eastern Canada and was first seen in London in the ‘Canada’ section of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in South Kensington in 1886. View this post on Instagram. Visitor Host Vicky King spends a lot of time with the big guy. Hubbard's collection was "constantly visited by persons of royal or aristocratic rank", wrote the Canadian high commissioner to the UK, Sir Charles Tupper, in his report, "and it would have been impossible to contrive any more effectual means of guiding the powerful sporting element of England in the direction of Canada". “I love that story that the Victorians over stuffed him,” a lady told me. The Horniman is a charity. The design was influenced…, Company Registration Number: 02456393 - Charity Registration Number: 802725 - Charity registered in England and Wales, Jo Brand to support the Great Walrus Tea Party. With his return this week, however, the spindly-legged sculpture by artist Laura Ford has been forced on to artistic pastures new. Sand Painting, America Made by Fred Stevens in 1966, this incomplete design…. Regular families to the Horniman always come to say hello to the walrus, but it’s not only children that are fond of him. It’s the last day of 2019, so we’re sharing our #bestnine for the year. However, the larger animals were sold to a dealers in Deptford in 1948 who, in turn, sold them on to a photography studio near the Kursaal in Southend-on-Sea as amusements for people to have their photos taken with. For me one thing that really made me love the walrus was a story Jo Hatton our Keeper of Natural History told us while she gave a tour of the Gallery. See it at the Museum entrance. In the Canadian zone, it was the country's "animals and their products" that caused the biggest stir. When told the story of it being over stretched (because the people who stuffed it didn’t know what a walrus looked like) always gets a positive reaction. A question we get asked a lot in the Natural History Gallery about everything is, “Is it real?”. Poised regally at the lifeless heart of the display was a bloated walrus. It’s hardly something cute and familiar like a cat or dog. An inspiring, surprising, family-friendly, free Museum and Gardens in south London. First published on Thu 19 Sep 2013 07.00 BST. Walrus, Canada. "He was a real hit with our visitors and provided a great talking point within the exhibition," she says. What is it about the walrus that makes it so loveable? People know it’s wrong but they can’t always put their finger on why. But a catalogue to the collection suggests otherwise. The walrus has been on display at the Horniman Museum for more than a century. The first entry reveals that the walrus – "stuffed, from Hudson's Bay" – belonged to the Canadian government's "fine collection of over 400 birds and 68 mammals". Since working here and finding out more about the collections my appreciation for the Horniman has increased. The Horniman Museum understands this frustration and have created a Snapchat filter which allows you to walk through the museum virtually, and enjoy the exhibits through your phone. For most of the 20th century, the walrus occupied a prominent place in a custom-built case in the natural history gallery. We use cookies to keep a record of your preferences to improve your experience. The walrus (who's been tweeting @HornimanWalrus since July 2011) has come home to a "made-over" iceberg and new display screen. By the late 1890s, Horniman's obsessive collecting was taking over the family home, so he set about erecting a grand, new building to accommodate the walrus and the rest of his eclectic mix of natural history and ethnographic objects. "It was wonderful to have the Horniman walrus at Turner Contemporary over the summer," says Victoria Pomery, director of the museum in Margate. It's not known how much it cost him, but it could have been a bit of a bargain. This seems to be a popular theme adults like. The walrus is everyone’s favourite celebrity at the Horniman, including mine. Also walruses look a bit funny with their tusks,” one of our volunteers said while we chatted about the Museum. India took up roughly one-third of the space but Britain's other colonies did not miss the opportunity to showcase their wares. So some may call this filter as horniman museum walrus filter.