Carl Cotton

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Carl Cotton
Field Museum
taxidermy exhibitions
Notable workMarsh Birds of the Upper Nile

Carl Cotton (1918–1971

African American taxidermist at the Field Museum and, as noted by museum staff, likely the first professional black taxidermist in all of Chicago.[1]

Early life and education

Born in 1918, Cotton spent his childhood in

Charles White.[2] Black discussed how he was childhood friends with Cotton and that, because of his young interest in the field of taxidermy, “cats and rats ran when they saw Carl.”[1] He had already been practicing on the methods of stuffing and mounting already deceased small animals he found and, once his skills had improved enough, neighbors would bring their pets that had died to be stuffed as well. Cotton was noted by Black to have the desire to "preserve the image of other life besides human life".[3] A school field trip to the Field Museum as a child was likely the inspiration for his desire to have a position there.[4]

Career

Cotton first wrote a letter to the Field Museum's director in 1940 to request a taxidermy job, saying that he was an amateur taxidermist that had an interest in working on reptiles and that he already had a personal collection of 30 live snakes he could use for the museum.

avians, with over a fourth of all the birds in the museum being prepared by Cotton.[3]

He helped to create an

shoebill stork and a variety of marshy plants which were constructed out of wax along with the muddy terrain.[2] This exhibition has remained on permanent display ever since it was first opened.[6]

Personal life

It was common for Cotton to practice taxidermy at home even throughout his museum career, working on outside commissions and other projects. While initially living in Gary, Indiana, during the 1950's and 60's with his family, he did move back into the city of Chicago proper in the years just before his death. An expansion of their garage in Gary was used as his personal home lab, with it being usual for large animals to be preserved there while being worked on. Cotton died of cancer in 1971.[3]

Legacy

An exhibition of Cotton's life and work was started in the summer of 2019 and unveiled in early 2020 under the title A Natural Talent: The Taxidermy of Carl Cotton to present his work throughout the years at the Field Museum, particularly the bird and reptile exhibits.[7] A part of this exhibit included adding labels to all of his works throughout the museum, as it had been uncommon for taxidermists to have their names included on their works, which had contributed to records of Cotton's involvement having been previously lost in the museum's archives. It was only after several staff members, Reda Brooks and Tori Lee, had found photographical evidence of Cotton while looking for material to exhibit for Black History Month that the new exhibition was decided upon, unearthing the letters, reports, photos, and other pieces of Cotton's history at the museum that had been in the records.[5][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Lee, Tori (January 29, 2020). "Finding Carl Cotton". fieldmuseum.org. Field Museum of Natural History. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Myers, Quinn (March 4, 2020). "Field Museum Exhibit Honors First African American Taxidermist". WTTW. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e Posner, Emeline (February 12, 2020). "The Lost Legacy of Carl Cotton, the Field's First Black Taxidermist". Chicago. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e Imbler, Sabrina (February 27, 2020). "The Black Taxidermist Who Made History at Chicago's Field Museum". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Machemer, Theresa (March 4, 2020). "The Chicago Field Museum Celebrates the Work of African American Taxidermist Carl Cotton". Smithsonian. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Wang, Aaron (February 6, 2020). "Field Museum showcases work by its first African American taxidermist". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  7. ^ "A Natural Talent: The Taxidermy of Carl Cotton". fieldmuseum.org. Field Museum of Natural History. 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  8. Columbia Chronicle
    . Retrieved August 8, 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carl_Cotton&oldid=1107724420"