In 1953, Carl Cotton was a remarkable figure at a time when it was rare to see an African-American man working on museum exhibits. His story is one of perseverance, talent, and innovation. Emily Graslie and Reda Brooks, intrigued by Carl’s legacy, embarked on a journey to uncover more about his life and contributions to the Field Museum. Their research revealed a man whose influence extended far beyond his official records.
Carl Cotton’s journey into taxidermy began in his youth. Growing up in Southside Chicago, he taught himself the art of taxidermy, starting with small animals and even memorializing pets for his neighbors. At the age of 22, Carl reached out to the Field Museum, expressing his interest in taxidermy and reptiles. Although initially turned down, he persisted, and after serving in World War II, he secured a volunteer position that eventually led to full-time employment in the museum’s Division of Anatomy.
Carl’s work at the museum spanned from 1947 until his death in 1971. He became known for his meticulous attention to detail and artistry, particularly with reptiles. His alligator snapping turtle display, created using the Walter’s method, showcased his skill in blending sculpture with taxidermy. This technique, which involved creating a mold and painting it with a mixture of celluloid, early plastic, and pigment, was perfected by Carl, who later trained others in its use.
After his initial work with reptiles, Carl transitioned to the Division of Birds, where he created stunning displays, including the 16-foot tall “Colorful Birds” sculpture. This exhibit, featuring 56 birds, broke away from traditional designs, incorporating elements inspired by jazz culture with its spontaneous poses and vibrant colors. Although dismantled in 1990, many of Carl’s birds remain on display, perched on the original metal forms he crafted.
Carl’s contributions extended beyond taxidermy. He was involved in creating intricate dioramas, such as the Willow Ptarmigan Diorama, which used a clever mirror illusion to depict seasonal changes. His masterpiece, the Marsh Birds of the Upper Nile River Diorama, required two years of dedicated work and showcased his ability to create lifelike environments that transport viewers to another world.
Carl Cotton’s artistry and expertise were sought after by institutions worldwide. His influence continues to be felt through the countless exhibits he created and the knowledge he passed on to others. Visitors to the Field Museum can still admire his work, from the subtle details to grand displays, each a testament to his skill and vision.
Through his dedication and innovation, Carl Cotton not only left a lasting legacy at the Field Museum but also inspired future generations of taxidermists and museum professionals. His story is a reminder of the power of perseverance and the impact one individual can have on the world.
Delve into the specific taxidermy techniques Carl Cotton used, such as the Walter’s method. Prepare a presentation that explains these techniques and their significance in the field of museum exhibits. Highlight how Carl’s innovations have influenced modern practices.
Create a virtual exhibit that showcases Carl Cotton’s most notable works. Use digital tools to design an interactive experience that highlights his contributions to taxidermy and museum displays. Focus on engaging storytelling to bring his legacy to life for a digital audience.
Imagine you are interviewing Carl Cotton about his career and achievements. Develop a set of questions and answers based on his life story and work. Perform this simulation with a partner, taking turns playing the role of Carl and the interviewer.
Inspired by Carl Cotton’s diorama work, create your own diorama that tells a story or depicts a scene from nature. Use materials of your choice and incorporate elements of illusion or innovative design, similar to Carl’s Willow Ptarmigan Diorama.
Engage in a group discussion about the challenges and progress of diversity in museum professions, using Carl Cotton’s career as a starting point. Explore how his story can inspire current efforts to increase representation and inclusivity in the field.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
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**EMILY GRASLIE:**
This is Carl Cotton. It’s 1953, a time when it’s surprising to see an African-American man working on exhibits in a museum. I had always been intrigued by him. So was Reda Brooks, who works in exhibitions today. She saw this photo while searching for inspiration for Black History Month and put a call out to other staff members in the museum to find out more about him. Together, they dug deeper, reading work logs and scouring the archives. But to do Carl’s legacy justice, they needed to look beyond his records and photos.
So in late 2019, we took to social media to find Carl’s friends and family, who responded with remembrances, photos, and many wonderful stories. During this exchange, it became clear that he was a true Renaissance man who influenced almost every department at the Field Museum and beyond. Carl’s childhood friend, noted historian Timuel Black, says Carl taught himself taxidermy at a young age, starting by artistically mounting the small animals he found in his Southside Chicago community and memorializing the departed pets of his neighbors and friends.
At 22, Carl sent his first letter to the Field Museum, expressing interest in taxidermy and reptiles, noting that he had kept a collection of 30 venomous and non-venomous live snakes himself. They turned him down. But Carl didn’t give up. After serving in Hawaii during World War II, Carl sent another letter, asking for a volunteer position, which seemed to do the trick. Just over a month later, Carl had shown himself to be satisfactory in every way, and he was hired to work full-time in the now bygone Division of Anatomy.
Carl Cotton worked at the museum from 1947 until his death in 1971. He fulfilled his dreams of working with reptiles. His alligator snapping turtle, still on display, shows his attention to detail and artistry, and that his experience working and living with reptiles paid off. It was created using a technique called the Walter’s method, where an animal is posed and made into a mold, which is painted with a mixture of celluloid and early plastic and pigment to create something between hyper-realistic sculpture and taxidermy. While it was invented by his mentor, Leon Walters, Carl is recognized for perfecting the technique and going on to train other taxidermists in this method.
Soon after Carl was hired, he was transferred to the Division of Birds, where he taxidermied much of the birds you can still see on display today. One of his most stunning pieces was the 16-foot tall sculpture called Colorful Birds he created with museum staff artist E. John Pfiffner, which included 56 birds. This display broke away from traditional zoology exhibit design. The specimens are artfully displayed on seemingly improvised curves. It could have been inspired by jazz culture, with the feeling of spontaneity in the poses and dramatic colors of the birds. It looks like music, beautiful and accessible.
Austin Rand, the chief curator of zoology at the time, said, “The openness, the airiness, and the liveliness of the twisting and turning strands of metal as they swirl upward make the wire structure a particularly appropriate place for birds to perch and accentuate the beauty and grace of these creatures of the air.” Unfortunately, it was not to be, as the piece was dismantled in 1990. Even so, many of Carl’s birds are still on display, like this bird of paradise and macaw. You can identify which birds were a part of his sculpture because they’re still perched on the metal form Carl mounted them to more than 60 years ago.
We can’t know for sure how many of the birds currently on display in exhibits around the museum were created by Carl, but it’s doubtful you can visit the museum today and not encounter some of his work. In fact, even staff here at the Field are constantly uncovering work he contributed to. The seasonal plumage of the Willow Ptarmigan Diorama had fallen out of common knowledge in the museum until it came time to move the striped hyenas for Project Hyena Diorama, and this gem was rediscovered behind their case.
At first, you can see Carl’s ptarmigan in its snowy plumage set in a scene of a frigid Alaskan winter painted by Madie Weavy. Then with a click, the bird and the scene are the same, but you have been transported in time to midsummer. This illusion is achieved by the creation of a matching pair of dioramas, one set straight on from the viewer’s perspective, and the other on the ceiling. A two-way mirror was placed at a 45-degree angle to the viewer. So when light is shown through it, we see the winter scene. And when the light is reflected off the mirror, we see the summer scene.
While this may seem like a simple trick, its creation was no small task. Both Carl and Madie had to construct pieces of art that were perfectly matching in form and composition. But because a mirror is used to create the illusion, one diorama had to be a mirror image of the other. In talking with Carl’s family, we learned about some of his work that definitely wouldn’t be in the museum archives. In an apparent side hustle, Carl created and delivered a bearskin rug to the Playboy Mansion, which was located here in Chicago at the time.
But it wasn’t all so glamorous. According to Carl’s wife, when a hippopotamus from the zoo died and was too large to fit in the freight elevator, Carl had to prepare it in the loading dock, which took several days in the heat and humidity of a Midwestern August. Carl’s wife mentioned another less than pleasant task—replicating the same dinosaur vertebrae out of plaster over and over because visitors seeking a souvenir couldn’t help but snag the tip of Gorgeous George’s tail, which was just within reach when the specimen was on display in Stanley Field Hall.
Who knows how many people have a plaster vertebrate handmade by Carl Cotton stashed somewhere in their homes by a slightly ashamed parent or grandparent? Carl eventually branched out of taxidermy to create insect display cases. His experience as an urban taxidermist is epitomized in this tiny diorama of a mouse being consumed by carrion beetles. The slight bloating of the mouse and the interaction between the beetles gives the feeling of a very lively death scene.
But perhaps his astounding attention to detail is shown nowhere better than in his masterpiece, the Marsh Birds of the Upper Nile River Diorama, which he constructed in 1953. By then, Carl had demonstrated vast capabilities in both his taxidermy of diverse animal groups, as well as his mold-making and crafting abilities. So when the museum announced the expedition to Uganda with the goal of creating a new bird diorama, Carl was ready for the opportunity. He was involved with the display from its very inception, including preparing and packing the supplies for the expedition and unpacking the specimens once they returned to the museum.
He worked on all aspects of the diorama, from building the habitat to sculpting and painting the lily pads to the taxidermy of every one of the 31 birds. It was a big responsibility and required a tremendous amount of work. But he was up to the task and devoted two years to the project, from the beginning of the expedition to the opening of the diorama in 1953. In the footage from the Field Museum archive, you can see the care and attention he gave to every animal he mounted.
As you approach the diorama, you’re transported to a vast wetland on the edge of Lake Kyoga in June of 1952. The sky is nearly empty, despite the many birds on the ground, signifying that these are native birds still here after the migratory birds from Europe have gone for their summer. The entire scene is packed with life, giving the impression of an abundant and diverse environment. Perhaps not representing a single moment in time, but giving the impression of what someone sitting in this spot might see over the course of a few days.
It’s somehow a truer impression of the habitat than a single instance could show. You get the feeling that you—and not the animals in the diorama—are the center of attention. It’s as if you just stumbled out from behind the papyrus and have caught the notice of each bird. The shoebill stork, being the largest and most fearsome predator in its own right, is vigilant but unconcerned. The smaller birds are more alert. The quick and skittish painted snipe begins to take flight. The great crested grebe and the long-toed plover both have young to protect, which is reflected in their anxious poses. The openbill stork looks up from eating a snail, the evidence of past meals scattered around it. And the buff-backed heron is startled in the middle of preening, surrounded by lost white feathers.
The scene feels complete because of such small details, like the different ages of the lily pads and the bird droppings clinging to the papyrus. You can almost feel the breeze coming from the right and smell the damp earth and muck in the water. And so the diorama accomplishes what any great work of art sets out to do—it moves the viewer outside of themselves. For a moment, if you allow it, you can become lost in another world, in another moment in time. You’re lost in this masterful illusion of nature.
Carl Cotton’s incredible artistry wasn’t only highly influential here at the Field Museum. His expertise in taxidermy and exhibition methods were sought out by popular and scientific institutions around the globe. But those he taught in turn pass on their knowledge, so there’s no real way to know the true extent of his impact. But he continues to influence any visitor who happens to stop and admire the hundreds of examples of his artistry on display at the Field Museum, from the subtle to the grand.
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Art – The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. – The Renaissance period is renowned for its significant contributions to art, with artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo creating masterpieces that continue to be celebrated today.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs, often focusing on the analysis and interpretation of records and artifacts. – The history of ancient civilizations provides invaluable insights into the development of human societies and cultures.
Taxidermy – The art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals with lifelike effect for display, study, or collection. – The museum’s taxidermy collection includes meticulously preserved specimens that offer a glimpse into the biodiversity of the region.
Museum – An institution dedicated to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, cultural, or artistic value. – The Louvre Museum in Paris is home to an extensive collection of art and historical artifacts, attracting millions of visitors each year.
Exhibits – Displays or presentations of objects or works of art in a public space, often as part of a museum or gallery collection. – The museum’s new exhibits on ancient Egypt feature a range of artifacts, including mummies and hieroglyphic tablets.
Innovation – The introduction of new ideas, methods, or products, often leading to significant advancements in a particular field. – The innovation of perspective in Renaissance art revolutionized the way artists depicted three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.
Legacy – Something handed down by a predecessor, often referring to cultural or historical achievements that have a lasting impact. – The legacy of the Impressionist movement can be seen in the way it transformed modern art, influencing countless artists and styles.
Reptiles – A class of cold-blooded, egg-laying vertebrates that includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and turtles, often studied in natural history contexts. – The natural history museum’s reptile exhibit educates visitors about the diverse adaptations and habitats of these fascinating creatures.
Dioramas – Three-dimensional full-size or miniature models representing a scene with lifelike figures and surroundings, often used in museums to depict historical events or natural environments. – The dioramas in the history museum vividly recreate scenes from the American Civil War, providing an immersive educational experience.
Chicago – A major city in the United States known for its rich cultural heritage, architectural innovation, and significant contributions to art and history. – The Art Institute of Chicago houses an impressive collection of artworks, including iconic pieces by American and European masters.
