Meet Tannis from the Grant Museum of Zoology – Tatty Devine

Our mission? To locate the perfect locale to capture the great world of curios and collectables in our NEW constrained edition Cupboard of Curiosities collection. And so, armed with bundles of important jewelry and magnifying glass in hand, we took to the Grant Museum of Zoology, located just a hop, skip and a leap from our Central London shop! Bursting with the most appealing ephemera from Dodo bones to the mesmerising Micrarium, this is a position you can devote days exploring: right here with her personal highlights is Head of the Collection, Tannis Davidson…

Hey Tannis! Can you explain the Grant Museum of Zoology in five words?

Inspiring, Mother nature, Specimens, Science, Understanding.

What is your function at the museum?

Head of the selection!

https://www.youtube.com/check out?v=dyniMFTd6J4

Get a 60-2nd tour of the Grant Museum of Zoology with Tannis

How did this assortment appear to be?

It was at first established by Robert E Grant in 1828 who brought with each other zoological specimens in get to instruct zoology and comparative anatomy at (what was then) the brand name new college (UCL). The specimens arrived from other museums, collectors, organic history sellers and Grant’s possess selection.

You have some really exceptional specimens in the museum, from pangolins to Giant rhino skulls. Which is the most appealing to you and why?

That is a tough a person! I have quite a few favourites this sort of as the pterosaur fossil which was after considered to be a duplicate, the segment of elephant tusk with an embedded bullet and the preserved possum which experienced a D-cell battery inside it! These all have exciting person histories as museum specimens and can also be utilised to emphasize numerous challenges these types of as natural heritage amassing, conservation and the record of the Grant Museum.

The short-nosed echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) at the Grant Museum of Zoology.

What is your favourite story bordering a specimen?

Tricky to select but we have a charming taxidermy echidna on exhibit. If you glimpse closely, you will see that the rear-going through back again feet are improperly dealing with ahead. This occurred simply because the taxidermist who organized the specimen had never noticed an echidna prior to. This was the situation 150 many years back when unfamiliar animals had been collected about the environment and introduced back to London to be described, examined and turned into museum specimens. The pores and skin on the legs is ripped mainly because the feet had been turned the improper way. I often envision the taxidermist puzzling about this!

Cabinet of Curiosities design, Emily, donning our Jewelled Insect Statement Necklace inside the Micrarium.

We shot a person of our favourite visuals of our Cupboard of Curiosities in The Micrarium, can you convey to us a little bit about this house?

Most of the animals on earth are little yet purely natural history museum displays tend to showcase substantial animals, significantly mammalian predators or dinosaurs. The Micrarium was conceived as a house where by microscopic animals could be represented and built seen to our readers. The slides are element of a more substantial zoological microscopy assortment and were being previously utilised by museum zoology students.

 Blaschka glass styles of sea invertebrates designed by renowned 19th century Czech jewellers.

QUICKFIRE Spherical:

Invertebrates or 4-legged close friends? Skulls and wax versions

If you could acquire a person matter, what would it be? Fossils from the Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies – 500 million-year-previous comfortable-bodied organisms with excellent preservation.

A should-see at the museum? Blaschka glass types of sea invertebrates

We know there are some Tatty Devine fans in the team… Necklaces or Earrings? Equally! I’m partial to earrings and my colleague, curator Hannah Cornish, is a necklace supporter.

Favourite piece from our AW22 collection? Jewelled Insect Earrings and Necklace. Pangolin is a shut next.

Our Pangolin Necklace, impressed by the Grant Museum’s collection.

Thank you for chatting with us Tannis – we’ll be confident to engage in ‘spot the bullet in the elephant tusk’ on our subsequent go to. Find the Grant Museum of Zoology at Rockefeller Setting up, 21 University St, London WC1E 6DE and store our full Cupboard of Curiosities online and in-keep now.