Animals and Empire Goes Live!

Charles Jamrach and his exotic animal menagerie.

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

Ahoy There!: From Dry Dock To High Seas

Bristol has become somewhat of a regular destination for me of late, but on this occasion I managed to rustle up some willing volunteers and set out on somewhat of an adventure. In the past, I’ve never gone beyond the boundaries of the Zoo (I know, I know) but this time around we set out to explore the city! 

SS Great Britain
Bloggers own Picture

We visited the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery and Bristol Cathedral, but the highlight of this whistle stop tour has to have been the SS Great Britain, which is docked in the Great Western Dockyard. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we first when we arrived, not really being a fan of naval history and I didn’t expect we’d be hanging around long. But appearances were deceptive and I could not have been more wrong. A lot of thought has gone into visitor experience by the team behind this site. You’re given a ‘ticket’ when you first arrive and are ushered out onto the ‘dock side’ where there are barrels, unloaded cases and store fronts, all of which give an authentic impression of what it would be like to be about to set sail on the high seas.

Dry Dock
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You first follow the signs to head underneath the ship to the dry dock, where you can walk around the underside of the ship; an experience which has been done in an equally thoughtful way. A false ceiling has been placed around to enclose the space and water is rippled across the top to give the impression of being under the sea. You can walk around, reading text panels and lifting others which pose questions and encourage you to think more about the ship and the process of conservation that is taking place. You can also stand next to an anchor and a replica of the original propeller which gives you a sense of the sheer scale of this feat of engineering. It is somewhat of a poignant experience to see such a well-loved ship corroding and resting upon concrete bars. A ship should be at sea after all.

Ship's Doctor
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You then move through into a space which is much more like a typical museum experience, where artefacts are on display, more text panels to read and at various points’ there are also video documentaries explaining how the SS Great Britain came to once again be docked in Bristol. This is also where the children’s activity on your ticket comes into action, as at each phase in the ships history there is a stamp to be collected, representing a journey or significant place. There are other activities to do as well, navigating a ship with a wheel and compass, creating more steam power and a chance for those fancy dress lovers amongst you to dress up and recreate scenes from nostalgic photographs (there was no need to prompt my companions, who were off before you could say “smile”!, let alone “Flash, bang, wallop what a picture!”).

Needless to say we were all quite impressed by this time, but little did we know the best bit was still to come. Once you’ve made your way through the gallery, you head up some steps and onto the main deck where you can wander around and see some (fake) domestic animals that were kept aboard for food and perhaps pick up a ‘visitor companion’ audio guide, which offers you a tour of the ship from the perspective of a passenger. You then head below deck. But this time you travel through a time tunnel and end up back in the Victorian period, becoming a passenger aboard the SS Great Britain bound for Australia.

Ship's Kitchen
Bloggers Own Photo

The ship has been recreated to offer the Victorian passenger experience. There are First Class, Second Class and Steerage passenger rooms that have been replicated to offer visitors an ‘as it was’ experience, in some cases complete with passengers. You can experience a family compartment, see the ship doctor’s office or perhaps lend a hand in the ship’s kitchen. It was an experience of constant surprises for each section of the ship we passed through offered a different experience to the last. But to top it all off, there were also sound and SMELL effects. Oh Yes! One woman was even suffering with seasickness and the smell of vomit lingered through the passage ways.

On Deck
Bloggers Own Photo

When I ‘stepped aboard’ I certainly wasn’t expecting this sort of experience and I have to say it was one of the best historic sites I’ve been to in a long time. As a visitor, being constantly surprised by what lay ahead and having all my senses stimulated made for a highly engaging and somewhat thrilling experience. Those that run the site have really thought about what makes for high quality visitor experience and have catered for that ,in a way that appeals to a wide audience. It’s original and inviting. There is a happy medium of education and entertainment and all the visitors that were around were engaging and talking about the experience. I would thoroughly recommend a visit here to anyone who fancies it, young or old. It makes for a great family day out, with that all important added slice of history!



Passengers
Bloggers own Photo

Dining Cart
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