Grey heron
Williams & Son of Dublin (fl.1850-1941)
Category
Natural History / Taxidermy
Date
circa 1895
Materials
Display case with taxidermy Grey Heron
Measurements
940 mm (H); 675 mm (W); 310 mm (D)
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Cragside, Northumberland
NT 1229327
Caption
Williams was the leading Irish taxidermy firm of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This immaculate heron in full adult plumage was prepared in 1895 and cost £4-7-0, a month’s wages for an ordinary working man in those days. The bird may well have been shot by a water bailiff, protecting the salmon in his river. Herons are difficult to mount well, particularly to skin the neck and get all its feather to lie smoothly in place. A handwritten note by Williams on the back of this case says this was the finest heron they had ever done.
Summary
Stuffed Grey Heron by Williams & Son of Dublin (fl.1850-1941). Dated c.1895. With foliage and rocks. Displayed in an ebonised and glazed case.
Provenance
Armstrong collection. Transferred by the Treasury to The National Trust in 1977 via the National Land Fund, aided by 3rd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1919 - 1987).
Marks and inscriptions
Back: Taxidermist's label on the back is dated November 1895 and says it was mounted for the Revd A. J. Carr. A handwritten addition acknowledges payment of £4-7/- and notes that it is the best specimen seen by the taxidermist in 28 years.
Makers and roles
Williams & Son of Dublin (fl.1850-1941), taxidermist