Final Reflections on London’s Urban Jungle @ The Horniman Museum and Gardens

I just wanted to round off quickly on London’s Urban Jungle which finished back in February by saying what a fantastic experience it was and how grateful I am to those who went and offered such positive feedback.

London's Urban Jungle © Elle Larsson

When I decided that I wanted to pursue an exhibition for my final MA project it soon dawned on me what a difficult process this would be. But there was a ray of hope and I am so grateful to the team at the Horniman Museum and Gardens for seeing potential in the idea and for scheduling it into their temporary exhibition programme for 2015/16.

London's Urban Jungle © Elle Larsson

I learnt a great deal throughout the process but most of all, achieved what I always hope to in doing research, and that’s inviting public engagement.  I am after all a public historian!

As a final farewell on this subject I offer you a link to a final piece I produced for the Horniman Museum website which can be found here, alongside some great pictures, hopefully showing how the exhibition tied in which the Horniman’s natural history collections - http://www.horniman.ac.uk/collections/stories/jamrachs-animal-legacy

It was a fantastic way to conclude my MA work, but this is not the end for my research on Jamrach so watch this space! 

An Inside Look: Just some of the questions I continue to ask myself during the course of my research.

It’s not very often, if at all, I write directly and in detail about the research I do and you might well ask why. Given that it is something I proclaim to both love and find fascinating, and given that I would call myself a public historian, why on earth do I not blog about my work more often? And it’s a question I often ask myself, especially when it comes to thinking of the topic for next week’s blog, and so you’d certainly be right to call me up on it. The thing is I don’t find it particularly easy to offer a clear and concise view on some of the issues that arise when studying this topic, because they can be very complex and multifaceted.

As an academic working within the field of animal studies you are forced to consider, amongst other things, the legal and ethical issues which can surround the particular topic you might be working on and which in turn, can lead you into impassioned debate and even confrontation – and sometimes I just don’t feel in a strong position to either defend or argue for a particular angle. For example, when visiting a zoological collection last year and being angered by the conditions in which the animals were kept, I was shocked to later discover that the zoo were meeting the legal requirements for keeping animals in captivity. It’s all too easily to respond based on your own morality, and that can be a good thing, but the conclusions you reach might not always be the ‘right’ ones and so I’ve learnt to tread a little more carefully before jumping in all guns blazing. However, I thought on this occasion I’d try and take you through a few of the questions and topics I often find myself contending with and deliberating on.

1. Zoos

Should they exist or shouldn’t they? What makes a ‘good’ zoo, if there is even such a thing? Why is the legislation around the keeping of animals in captivity so lax? Why will parliament not approve the ban on the use of wild animals in circuses? Or the keeping of some exotic animals as pets? Why are there still so many comparisons to be made between the 19th century, 20th century and 21st century when so much else has changed? I could go on.

With all these questions, just a sample of what I could think of, where do I even begin? One of the two events that led me to focus my dissertation on Charles Jamrach, involved asking myself the question “why did zoos spring up in the middle of urban areas during the nineteenth century?” and at the time I happened to be stood looking at the giraffe house at London Zoo. I’ve been to zoos and wildlife parks all my life – some good, some bad and some excellent (as far of course as they can be). I’ve grown up with a respect for wildlife and interest in it, some of which stems from those very visits. But as I’ve grown up, what was once awe inspiring and entertaining has become more educational, thought provoking and a topic much closer to my heart.

I look at a visit as an opportunity to learn about conservation, but also about the heritage of these institutions. For example when in Vienna last year, I visit the Tiergarten Schonbrunn and was as interested in, if not more so in fact, in the infrastructure and layout of the zoo, as I was in what was contained within the enclosures. There is a history there I want to understand and I think that is something zoological collections should be looking to impart on their visitors - show the changes that have occurred and own that past. Offer the context and circumstances in which these curious institutions arose to help people better understand ‘why’. Let’s stop disassociating and hiding from the unpalatable bits of that past. It can’t be changed, it was what it was, so let’s be honest about it and show the progress that’s been made since, in terms of our attitude towards animals (although, has there really been any? Another question I often wrestle with and have done a lot this past week, in the wake of the controversy over Cecil the lion. But that is a blog in itself).

However reticent I am to admit it, and regretful, I think there is little point in suggesting the demise of zoos and wildlife parks. They have a value in terms of education, conservation and funding projects that for some species, offer a last ditch attempt to bring them back from the brink of extinction. I just wish Zoos could lose the ‘entertainment’ label. I don’t think they should be entertaining, I think they should be a sharp reminder of the power we yield over the natural world and that we should being doing all we can to hand that back and leave well alone. I read recently John Berger’s view that ’in zoos [animals] constitute the living monument to their own disappearance’ (1) and couldn’t help but get a heavy heart. What a sorry state of affairs the relationship between mankind and animals is currently in.

2. Why does the legislation suck?

I’ve also become increasingly aware of the lax legislation that surrounds exotic animals generally in the UK. It seems archaic to me. Something that’s been neglected and over looked for far too long. I know there are a number of organisations out there who are pushing for change and we really need to get behind them.

Born Free’s summer 2015 Wildlife Times highlights some harrowing statistics about the numbers of exotic pets in the UK. They estimate for example that there are at least 7,000 pet monkeys and other primates in the UK. And then there is the sheer range of different species being kept as household pets, all of which was bought to light in a recent survey. This includes amongst others snow leopards, polar bears and tapirs as well as meerkats and venomous snakes. The article asks ‘Just because we are legally able to keep any animal, does this mean it is morally right?’ and I’d ask you the same question but also – why in the world does the law permit this? These are animals that are not just wild but some that are listed as species in need of protection (vulnerable, threatened, critically endangered etc.)

And then there is the fact that British Parliament can’t pass a bill to ban the use of exotic animals in circuses. The why is just beyond me – especially when you consider that other European countries have introduced this ban. Why hang on to this ‘traditional’ relic when so many people are against it? Are we not better than that? How can someone look at an animal in that sort of situation and feel that it is acceptable? I know it comes low down on the priority list when compared to other issues such as welfare, defence and the economy, but come on people can’t we just get it sorted out?

3. Why bother when nature has its own agenda?

Nothing appears to be safe- whether from humans or from nature. For example, I read very recently how 10 Asiatic lions have been reportedly killed in the floods that hit Gujarat, which is a significant number when you consider that the remaining surviving population is believed to be only 523. This disaster has renewed criticism by some conservationists that the lions should not be kept in a single location (2) but I couldn’t help but think, is there any hope either with or without human intervention? Has the damage not already been done and are we not at a point where it’s irreparable in so many cases? But then the flip side to that view - I read another recent article which reports how the numbers of peregrine falcons have risen in Illinois, so much so that the species has been removed from state’s endangered and threatened list.

And so I end up right back at the beginning, questioning whether we ‘need’ zoos and what function they serve and whether we can actually make a difference.... I told you this wasn’t going to be straight forward.

4. When should I quit it all and become an animal activist?

When I read of the harsh reality in the way we treat animals - the huge number of species threatened and nearing extinction; or of those trapped in unfit cages and enclosures, used as photographers props and as circus entertainment, or shot for ‘sport’ – I get so enraged. Often my reaction to these things is “right, let’s get out there and do something” or “why?”, so often the question is why.

Three recent incidents particularly sparked this reaction. The first was the story of 66 chimpanzees abandoned by the company who had performed medical tests of them, after pledging ‘lifetime care’ when the laboratory was closed down. The second, was the overturning of South African Airlines ban on the transportation of hunting trophies, and third of course, was the hunting and death of Cecil (links 3 & 4 below). I want to get out there and do something, I just don’t know what or how at this moment in time. I really want to make an impact and not some half-hearted attempted that falls flat on its face. Perhaps using the work I’ve done and am about to do, I can influence policy, educate and help to make lasting changes. “Why haven’t you done so already?” I hear you ask, and another good question. I suppose my Born Free subscription isn’t quite enough is it…. and I think in light of recent news, I’d better get straight on it!

5. What’s the role of Natural History Museums?

Again, this is a topic I’ve engaged with a fair bit of late and it’s no more straight forward than any of the previous. I read recently somewhere natural history museums described as “cemeteries of corpses” – a phrase which evoked two images for me. On the one hand, it seemed to have rather negative connotations; why would we want to make pilgrimages to these sorts of places, to look at the dead and ‘decaying’. It all seems rather morbid when you think about it. Why look at something still, lifeless and posed when you could look at something full of life, via the internet, TV, in a wildlife park or best of all, in its natural environment. And in part, I can see the argument. I recently had a conversation with someone who argued this case, expressing criticism of the NHM South Kensington for the faded mammal taxidermy specimens that are on display, for this person had in fact wanted to be able to show their child a vibrant, impressive looking male lion.

So just why do we go to NHM’s? Is it to see, to study and to compare creatures – their physiognomy, colourings and size? Or is it to understand the work taken by that institution as a scientific organisation? I think in part it’s both, but I don’t think that the latter is something that is really explored enough by NHM’s and transmitted to the public as well as it could be. Natural history museums are oddities in that they are “cemeteries of corpses”, dead specimens put on display for public consumption. But so much more goes on behind the scenes, work of global scientific significance and I think that is so often overlooked. NHM’s aren’t just preserving specimens but they are continuing to carry out the scientific and educational work they have always done, so let’s inform people about that. There is a reason why these museums have in their stores, hundreds of specimens of creatures from around the world. Let’s tell people what drove, and continues to drive that collecting and scientific research.

In a positive step there have been some successful attempts to contextualise collections and explain these ‘oddities’ by doing exactly that. Both the Horniman Museum and Gardens and the NHM Tring have attempted to address this; the Horniman with its new introduction to the Natural history gallery and Tring with its new Rothschild gallery. Both have attempted to contextualise the collections, explaining why they exist, what drove the people that began those collections and what else was going on at the time to influence it. It’s a much needed approach and one which can only improve people’s understanding of what at first glance, are pretty odd institutions.

It’s all too easy to forget that what is on display is only a small proportion of a collection and that much more is held in a museum’s store. It’s here that the real scientific value is to be seen and understood and that was something I really grew to appreciate very recently when shown some of the bird collection at the NHM Tring.

6. And, what should we be telling people about natural history collections?

Last one, I promise!

Recently when in an archive, I was approached by a mother with her two young boys who enquired as to what I was looking at and why. This moment was pretty significant for me for two reasons really. Firstly because it was the first time I really owned my claim to being a historian. But I was also struck by her response when I told her that I was looking at evidence for what specimens were being donated too and bought by this collection, by whom, where from etc. in order to try and map what was going on and why. I think I find this aspect particularly interesting because I’m looking for some sort of justification that this whole over exploitation that occurred throughout the 19th and early part of the 20th century, was in some way ‘worth it’ or ‘justifiable’. I don’t for a moment think it was, but I cling to the hope that there might just be something that makes it seem that tiny bit ‘ok’.

And that is exactly what this mother had said she’d tried to explain to her boys. That the animal specimens on display hadn’t been killed or died and preserved for nothing, and that the knowledge derived from them was hugely important. That’s what I want to believe too, and to a certain point, I do. But the more you encounter statistics that only 1 in 12 animals survived transportation to Britain, or that such and such died only days after it arrived, and that an animal was beaten to death for striking out – it really does destroy that belief. And even more so when you read that that is exactly what happens now, and again I can draw on a Wildlife Times article, in particular the one on cheetahs as ‘The ultimate status symbol’.

It’s all just very difficult because on the one hand, the history of the exotic animal trade is a colourful and fascinating one. I’ve been amazed to discover how far it impacted upon and reflected wider social, cultural, political and economic issues and it has enabled me to look at history in a very different way. However, while I maybe studying this subject and sharing my research, I do not for one moment condone what went on and what continues to go on, nor do I want to be seen as glorifying it by talking about it. I suppose, you have to learn to compartmentalise it in order to keep perspective and this is something I am still very much learning to do. The topics of animal welfare and animal rights are ones I feel very passionately about and there are often a lot of deep breaths to be heard when I’m in the archive and reading up on it, just as there has been in writing this, as I struggle to come to terms with the reality of what I might be reading.

(1) John Berger, Why Look at Animals? (London: Penguin Books, 2009), 36.
(2) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/indian-floods-kill-10-endangered-asiatic-lions-in-gujarat-10390123.html
(3) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3173127/The-heartbreaking-battle-save-66-chimpanzees-baby-left-starve-African-island-medical-firm-abandoned-finished-experimenting-them.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline
(4) http://www.fastcompany.com/3048936/fast-feed/south-african-airways-lifts-ban-on-hunters-animal-trophies

Happy as a pig in muck – Archives, archives and more archives! Part 2

Right, so where was I?

Ah Yes, that’s right, moving on from my little negative rant… After I got a little perspective on the whole situation and had a “that would make a good blog” moment, it was time to hit the next archive and see what else it could reveal in my hunt for new information on Mr Jamrach, to use in both my upcoming talk and exhibition. The great thing this time however, was that I needn’t even leave the comfort of my own home for this archive is all online.

For a reasonable subscription fee members of the public are able to sign up to the British Newspaper Archive (BNA) and access over 400 newspaper titles, spanning from 1710 to the 1960s – an invaluable resource for any researcher, both professional and amateur. I fast became a fan of this archive, for what a fantastic resource it offers its users! It’s easy to use and offers a wealth of material and I’ve really enjoyed navigating my way around and uncovering new little gems. Part of me wants to divulge some of that material, but then again, “spoilers”!

Previously the access I had to online newspaper archives came through the online e-resources access I had the luxury of using as a student at university. The Times Digital Archive and the 19th Century British Library Newspapers were both resources I used a lot when it came to working on both my undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations and had offered up some really interesting snippets of information. However once I’d left university, I lost that access and it forced me to look elsewhere. Hence I rediscovered the BNA, an archive I’d never really thought to utilise before. “Rookie error” I hear you cry!

Launched in 2011, the BNA is a partnership between the British Library and findmypast to digitise up to 40 million pages of the British Library’s vast collection of newspapers, over the course of the next 10 years (1). This enables researchers to search through thousands of articles by keyword, name, location, date or title, and see immediate results. Gone are the days of pain staking scrolling through microfiche and actual hard copies of papers - which can be a nice experience once in a while, but when researching on a large scale this resource is a genius one. And that is actually, exactly why I found myself putting aside a couple of days and dedicating that time to a thorough search of the archive. Before, had I had to do it ‘manually’, I’m not sure whether it would have been worth the time, unless of course I’d known exactly what I was looking for - a specific article or edition – and I think I could quickly have got disheartened with it. But there is no need for that with this archive; you can just explore it without that clear idea. I was able to find new snippets of information I had no previous idea about within seconds, and that made for a really exciting couple of days.

The Site

I found it to be a really user friendly database, offering users different ways to filter the results from announcement types to publication titles, date (YYYY/MM/DD) and even public tags (the sorting of articles into additional categories or topics such as news, classifieds, crime, art etc.). The technology used to recognise search terms also works well at picking out those key words for both basic and advanced searches.  And the character recognition software (OCR) is generally spot on, but some of the transcriptions, especially on the older stuff, can be a bit hit and miss. It does however, appear that the BNA acknowledge this limitation and do offer users the opportunity to correct the OCR errors with the ‘Edit Article Text’ option; therefore offering users a way to improve the quality of the database. How many people have used or will use this feature is, I guess, is open to speculation. Only those articles looked at will have any chance of being corrected, we’d hope correctly but there is no guarantee, and also, how will this be kept on top of as new material continues to be added? There are lots of unanswerable questions here, but I think the approach is definitely one to be commended.  

In terms of the images of the papers, they are of a high quality and are easily manipulated by users – zooming in/out and navigating around the page. It was worth, what I expect, was an extra expense, for the quality of images this resource provides is not always matched by its contemporaries. I have had a few experiences where I’ve viewed some online documents and the images have pixelated when enlarged, or been slow to load when navigating around a page. But like I say, I didn’t experience any of those problems here. Upon viewing an article, your attention is also easily drawn to your original search term, which is highlighted by a blue box around the word and the article tends to be a lighter shade than the rest of the page. This is hugely helpful given that each article appears within the full page view of the original document.

One particularly good aspect to this feature is that fact that it gives you the full context in which the article is appearing. You don’t view it in isolation and this really helps with understanding the article and what else was going on at the time. For example, one of the most well-known stories about Charles Jamrach relates to the escape of a tiger from a shipment, onto the Ratcliffe Highway, where it proceeded to attack a young boy named John Wade, in October 1857. Interestingly, one particular article which documented this event, featured just below another article that discussed Imperial Rule within India subsequent to the Indian Mutiny– and in a way it makes a subtle reference to the symbolism that the event of the escaping tiger evoked.

However, with this feature also comes a slight drawback when it comes to downloading or printing articles. As copies of the entire page view, the PDF’s that are produced are large, complete files, when in actual fact you might only want a small snippet or single article. And, from what I could see, there wasn’t the option to print or download just the single article; a feature I’d particularly liked when using 19th Century British Library Newspapers in the past. So I took to print screening the smaller articles, so as to just get the bit I wanted. Where this wasn’t possible, I did save the large ones but am wondering what I will do as and when I decide to print them. It could be a mammoth cut and paste exercise!

In terms of my own research, what can I say? At first I was really excited to see over 1,800 results bought back for my first search term, but very quickly realised that an article published in a national or regional paper would be published numerous times in smaller, local and provincial papers and so there was a fair bit less to look at than I had first anticipated. But I found this to be interesting in itself and quickly noticed a pattern in terms of which sort of articles were published at various times and also, reused at later dates. As you’d expect, the tale of the tiger featured heavily and appeared in over 300 articles, some of which appeared in the October or November of 1857 but some dated later and covered the court case, when Jamrach was sued by Wade’s parents for compensation, and others just reflected on that incident some 10 or 20 years later. So, just by observing that pattern, I was able to reconfirm how dominate that event was in forming society’s view of Charles Jamrach.

One thing I had been a little concerned about when subscribing to this archive was that there might be a usage cap on how many articles you can view in one session/month. But I did a bit of research and was relieved to find that this doesn’t appear to be the case. I was free to mosey about looking at what I wanted and really enjoyed the process of doing so.

Conclusions

The BNA has really opened up the collections of the British Library to a much wider audience and I think that can only ever be a good thing. In many ways it is democratising research and offering researchers of all kinds, access to an invaluable resource that can be at their fingertips in minutes – although, at a cost. I hope that this is a sign of more good things to come and wonder, whether there is scope for the project to run for longer if funding and resources can be found?

So….I know you’re probably all dying to know – what new gems did I uncover? Well it was a bit of a mixed bag really. Sadly, I discovered news reports dating from the 1870s that describe how Mr. Jamrach, “the well-known dealer in wild beasts” was charged at the Thames Police Court with assaulting his wife. (Whether this was Mr Jamrach Snr or Jnr thought, I have yet to determine). One particular report in the Leeds Times goes on to describe details of the two cases which were put to the court, Mrs. Jamrach’s informing of the violence to which she was inflicted, but then it being implied she was actually having an affair with the character witness and medical examiner in the case. The case for the defense was then put forward and the judge told of the “wretched, miserable life [he suffered] at the hands of the complainant”. In the end the summons was dismissed and the judge ruled that Mrs. Jamrach “keep the peace towards her husband for the next three months”.  Would we expect any other judgment given the time?

Then, there is one other final snippet that I will share with you, which is one that really stood out for me, partly because of its ludicrously, but also because it shows how present Jamrach’s was in the consciousness of society during the later half of the nineteenth century. I was very surprised to find a couple of articles dating from 1888 speculating as to the culprit behind the Whitechapel Murders and that actually implicated Jamrach’s. Having been compared to, or perhaps inspired by, Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Murder in the Rue Morgue”, it appears it was actually suggested that the Whitechapel crimes were being committed due to the “same agency” as that in the story and that “it might be worthwhile... for the police to inquire at Jamrach’s and other dealers in the White-chapel Road and the neighborhood, if any large monkey has escaped”; while another directly claimed it could be down to “one of Jamrach’s Gorilla’s armed with a knife” (2). I had to laugh. It really does seem that Jamrach managed to get himself caught up in all sorts of new stories of the day! I’d say more, but would like to keep something back for those upcoming events – that’s after all what is has all been in aid of.

(1)    http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/help/about

(2)    http://poestories.com/read/murders

Conducting research, with all the challenges and complexities that can entail.

Given that I claim to have made the ‘animal turn’ and specialise in the history of the exotic animal trade during modern British history, I do seem to blog relatively little about it. I couldn’t tell you why that is particularly; I suppose I just use my blog as a way to pen other thoughts, away from the main body of my research. However, in preparing a paper for a conference I’ve been asked to speak at this week, I’ve been revisiting my favourite research topic, Charles Jamrach and his animal trading business, and began formulating ideas for a blog.

Previously, when researching my dissertations, I think it’s safe to say I was caught up with the pressure of deadlines and reading with a particular purpose in mind. I knew what I was looking for, or more specifically what I wasn’t looking for from my sources and I just powered through the material. I did get what I needed, but as so often happen in situations like this, I can’t say I really took everything in.

However, it’s been different this time around and I have really read and engaged with  the articles I’ve been examining and if truth be told, have actually found it both quite difficult and infuriating. When you’re dealing with a subject you care about and are confronted with information that is difficult to digest, it’s hard to put into context what you are reading. For example, in one account an author commented on how 80% of a shipment of animals died before making it to their destination – and we’re not talking 10-20 animals or birds, we’re talking hundreds if not thousands. It was an indulgent and exploitative trade driven by imperialism that saw animal dealers, hunters and collectors, mine the earth’s surface for animals to add to their collections, with no real understanding of the long term implications. As one article described, ‘Africa was Jamrach’s nursery’.

It’s also hard to read how a dealer might have received a shipment of animals, the sum of which now equates to that of the surviving population which is now fighting impending extinction. The root of many conservation issues originate in this period and being someone who is aware and concerned about those issues, it was quite thought provoking research. As a historian you have to try and remain objective, weighing up the evidence to draw reasoned and well-argued conclusions, but as a citizen concerned with environmental issues, it was pretty hard stuff and I have to admit to having really struggled to remain impartial on this occasion. I understand that it was of its time, but with a modern mind set, it’s pretty hard to justify.

I think my feelings were also further exacerbated by a recent report on how the bill to ban the use of wild animals in circuses in the UK has been blocked by Tory backbenchers for the final time. Even more frustratingly- we’re not talking a majority. No. Three individuals have repeatedly blocked this going through, one claiming that it’s a “Great British institution…[that] deserves to be defended against the propaganda and exaggerations”. (1) I’m sorry, but I really am of the thought that the time for wild animals to be used as entertainment in a circus setting is over. I struggle to justify the existence of zoos to myself, let alone circuses that have little if anything to do with conservation and the preservation of species. Perhaps it was once the case that this was true, but it is now an outdated practice and I’m not the only one to share this view.

There was a time not that long ago, in early in the twentieth century, when the animal trade supplying circuses and menageries entered a decline because it was replaced by the entertainment that films could provide. And you’d think to some degree this would have continued – what with the potential for HD and new filming techniques to reform the way in which we view animals and allow us to observe them in their natural habitats, in a more unobtrusive way. Is there really a need to train animals for our entertainment? And what is it that still compels us as a society to be drawn to a circus to watch animals perform? I just don’t get it.

Coincidentally, this report came after another which announced that the largest circus provider in America, The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, declared it would phase out the use of elephants in its shows, amidst growing public sentiment against it. You’d think wouldn’t you, that with such emphasis placed on conservation and the like, that this would have stopped years ago but there are so many more instances like this one where animals are kept and used for entertainment. It makes me shudder. I naively thought when first embarking on this project 3 years ago now, that the commercial animal trade was long gone. How wrong was I?!

Our relationship with animals is such a complex one and in this blog I’ve really just written a gut reaction to this news. It’s not well balanced or researched but highlights just some of the issues I engage with when doing my research. There are so many layers to a topic like this; you have to engage with the history, the legality, the ethics….. the list goes on. Yet, however much I am at times horrified by what I read, I am also fascinated and discovering the history of the exotic animal trade has completely changed the way in which I view the British Empire and its legacy.

(1)    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ban-on-wild-animals-in-circus-blocked-by-tory-backbenchers-10092779.html

(2)    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11453278/American-circus-will-end-elephant-acts-in-response-to-public-criticism.html