Extinct The Hall of Disappeared Species at the Natural History Museum in Paris houses a collection of bones, eggs, and taxidermy specimens of animal species lost in the biological sense: rare, endangered, or extinct. These relics of lost creatures are presented in a historical context in the original wooden fixtures preserved from the old gallery of Zoology dating from 1889.
The “newer” art of photography quickly changed the way people experienced animals outside of their natural environments. The recent rapid extinction of species has brought a new importance and urgency to these taxidermy specimens. They have become invaluable objects of our worldwide natural heritage. The Hall of Disappeared Species is particularly a sobering space. Some of these creatures will never be seen alive again. The specimens include many extinct species for which only a handful of taxidermy representations exist worldwide.
