I’ve been throwing the name Charles Jamrach into
conversations with lecturers and fellow students for months now but it was only
recently brought to my attention that people don’t actually know what on earth
I am on about. Admittedly that’s not unusual, but Charles Jamrach was one of
the leading dealers in exotic animals throughout the nineteenth century, who
made a large impression on Victorian culture and as such, is someone I believe
people should be familiar with. So to rectify this problem I decided to write a
blog to introduce you to him and, as a bit of shameless self-promotion, point
you in the direct of a newly launched exhibition which offers more in depth
discussion of this unusual character as well as contributions by other
academics and scholars, offering insights into theme encompassed under the title
‘Animals and Empire’.
Can you imagine walking down a commercial street in London
and hearing sounds of the jungle; the calls of tropical birds, the howls of
monkeys and roars of big cats? This was a very real possibility in Victorian
London, as shops began to emerge that specialised in stocking and selling
exotic creatures from across the globe. Charles Jamrach was the owner of one of
these businesses and through his premises at 164 Ratcliffe Highway, established
himself as one of the leading dealers in exotic animals of the Victorian
period. He had a reputation to match and throughout his career acquired a large
and loyal customer that would task Jamrach with finding many a curiosity to add
to their growing collections.
However, whilst being renowned amongst his contemporaries,
historians seem to have rather overlooked Jamrach. Several historians have mentioned him briefly
in their work, for example Harriet Ritvo, Nigel Rothfels and John Simons, who
has produced one of the more comprehensive biographies on Jamrach, yet there is
nothing particularly substantial. And that’s where I come in. I just happened
to stumble across him when researching for a class presentation on the
Ratcliffe Highway in the final year of undergraduate and immediately became captivated
by this outlandish character and his peculiar profession. I’d sought a
dissertation topic relating to zoos or exotic animals and there it was –
Jamrach!
We’ve all visited zoos and wildlife parks in our lives, in
my case my interest in ‘fluffy animals’ has become a bit of a running joke
(they don’t all have to be fluffy I’d hasten to add). But where exactly did our
fascination with exotic animals begin? And how did they come to be such
familiar sites in the western world? It was in asking myself these questions that
I became fascinated in the nineteenth century exotic animal trade and just how
exotic animals have become such a firm fixture in modern society. As I trawled the archives, books and the
internet I uncovered fascinating first-hand accounts, images and tales about Jamrach
and this unique family business and became convinced of his importance in the
development of the exotic animal trade.
The result was a piece of work that I am really proud of,
but more than that, I have been surprised by the interest it has provoked in
people around me and the reception it has had from those who would not normally
engage with more conventional aspects of history. That’s why when I was offered
the opportunity to adapt it for an online exhibition I jumped at the chance. Of
course I had reservations, this was after all an undergraduate piece of work
that would be displayed along with that of academics, but those reservations
were soon overshadowed by a desire to share what I’d learnt. In that sense I
suppose I already am a public historian.
So please take a look at the exhibition and engage with the
contributions that have been put together. And please do leave some feedback;
I’d be particularly interested to hear what you make of my contribution on Jamrach
for this is my first attempt at ‘real’ Public History and it would be great to
hear what you make of it.The exhibition can be found here: http://animalhistorymuseum.org/?page_id=4439 Or a direct line to ‘Charles Jamrach’s Exotic Menagerie and the Victorian Wild Animal trade’ here: http://animalhistorymuseum.org/?page_id=4459
