Taxidermy display
Category
Natural History / Taxidermy
Date
circa 1850
Materials
Display case with taxidermy toucan, motmots, caciques, scarlet ibis, woodpeckers, parrots, trogons, tanagers, hummingbirds and cotingas
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Attingham Park, Shropshire
NT 609970
Summary
A collection of stuffed exotic birds housed in a glazed display case surrounded by a tall rectangular rosewood frame supported on a rosewood stand. The birds are typical tropical South American birds including a toucan, two motmots, caciques, two scarlet ibis, woodpeckers, parrots, two trogons, several tanagers, hummingbirds and cotingas. Circa 1850.
Provenance
Attingham collection; bequeathed to the National Trust with the estate, house and contents of Attingham by Thomas Henry Noel-Hill, 8th Baron Berwick (1877-1947) on 15th May 1953. The case of birds had belonged to William, 6th Lord Berwick (1802-1882). When the contents of Springfield House, his home in Shrewsbury, were divided and sold, the case of birds went to his nephew, The Rev. Charles Noel-Hill, who then lived at Church Stretton Rectory in Shropshire. The Rev. Charles Noel-Hill died at Stockton Rectory in 1911, his widow, Edith, had to sell some of her possessions before her move to a smaller home in Ruyton XI Towns. In January 1912 Edith wrote to Thomas, 8th Lord Berwick, mentioning that Blower (her solicitor?) would arrange to deliver the birds to Attingham. She wrote again to Thomas in April (1912?) saying that she was glad Tom liked the birds.