Harry Ferris Brazenor (21 July 1863 – 10 March 1948) was a British

taxidermist Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proce ...

. He was known especially for his work for

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

museums, besides other institutions in

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

. At Manchester Museum he was recognised for his taxidermy-mounted

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...

skeleton, giraffe, polar bear, and a wolf with painted "blood" on its teeth. His work for Salford Museum included an

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...

displayed next to a tiny

shrew Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different fa ...

. His Salford tiger was transferred to

Leeds City Museum Leeds City Museum, originally established in 1819, reopened in 2008 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is housed in the former Mechanics' Institute built by Cuthbert Brodrick, in Cookridge Street (now Millennium Square). It is one of nine s ...

and is still displayed there. For

Hancock Museum The Great North Museum: Hancock is a museum of natural history and ancient civilisations in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The museum was established in 1884 and was formerly known as the Hancock Museum. In 2006 it merged with Newcastle Univers ...

Newcastle-on-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

he mounted a

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...

bull, and for the former

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, opened in 1836. The brainchild of John Jennison, the gardens were initially intended to be an entert ...

he mounted an

Indian rhinoceros } The Indian rhinoceros (''Rhinoceros unicornis''), also called the Indian rhino, greater one-horned rhinoceros or great Indian rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red Li ...

. He was born into a family of taxidermists. His father, Robert Wilding Brazenor, founded the taxidermy company Brazenor Brothers in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

in 1863, the year Harry was born, and Harry began his career with the family firm, alongside his brothers. His nephew H.C.F. Brazenor was deputy director of

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a municipally-owned public museum and art gallery in the city of Brighton and Hove in the South East of England. It is part of the "Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton and Hove". It is free for local residents ...

and

Brighton Pavilion The Royal Pavilion, and surrounding gardens, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Pri ...

Background

Harry Ferris Brazenor was born on 21 July 1863 in

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...

, London, into a family of

taxidermists Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proc ...

and

furrier Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific i ...

s. His parents were Robert Wilding Brazenor (

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

1818 –

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

1901), and Rhoda Ferris (

Biddestone Biddestone is a village and civil parish in northwest Wiltshire, England, about west of Chippenham and north of Corsham. The parish includes the smaller settlement of Slaughterford. Geography The Bybrook River forms the western boundary of t ...

c.1826 –

1909). Robert was a "more enthusiastic than accurate"

who founded the

taxidermy company, Brazenor Brothers, which flourished from 1863 to 1937, although he became

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...

in 1883. Much of the Brazenor Brothers'

ornithological Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

work is kept in the skeleton gallery of the

Booth Museum of Natural History Booth Museum of Natural History is a charitable trust managed, municipally-owned museum of natural history in the city of Brighton and Hove in the South East of England. Its focus is on Victorian taxidermy, especially of British birds, as well ...

. However, in August 1848, before Robert married Harry's mother, he had been charged with stealing a large number of

saddlery Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. Equipping a horse i ...

materials and products from one Edward Tyrrell of

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

. Robert and Rhoda's sons John, Charles, Frederick, Harry and Alfred all became taxidermists for the family company, and their daughters Sarah and Rhoda worked with their mother in the family furrier shop. Harry's brother Alfred ultimately became the "mainstay" of the business, and Harry's nephew Herbert Clifton Ferris Brazenor (Brighton 26 March 1912 – Brighton 1972) became deputy director of the

, and of

. Brazenor married Mary Helen Smith (Manchester 13 October 1859 – Eccles 1945) in Manchester in 1890, and they had three daughters: Annie Rhoda (born 13 June 1891), Florence Helen (born 1893), and Minnie (born 1894). Brazenor died aged 84 in Eccles on 10 March 1948. He was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

at Manchester Crematorium at

Barlow Moor Barlow Moor is an area of Manchester, England. It was originally an area of moorland between Didsbury and Chorlton-cum-Hardy and was named after the Barlow family of Barlow Hall. Barlow Moor Road runs through the area and connects to Wilmslow R ...

on 13 March 1948.

Career

By 1881, when Brazenor was around 18 years old, he was a taxidermist's assistant, living with his parents in Brighton. By 1891, he was running a taxidermy business from home under his own name in Churchgate,

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

, and living with his wife at 11 Bridge Street, Manchester. By 1901, he was living with his wife and three daughters at 54 Churchgate, Stockport, and was still running the business from home, while contracting for museum work, however the business went bankrupt on 6 February 1901. In 1905, Brazenor won a court case in which he had been unjustifiably sued for mounting the skin of the wrong pet dog. By 1911, Brazenor was an employee of Manchester Museum, and living with his family at Ashlea, Wellington Road, Eccles. At that point his eldest daughter was a

dressmaker A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and gown, evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua (clothing), mantua-makers, and are also known as a mod ...

, and the youngest was an apprenticed

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

ess. By 1939, Brazenor had retired, and was still living in Eccles.

Works

Belle View Zoological Gardens, Manchester

In 1905, Brazenor mounted an

for

Manchester Museum

In 1898, Brazenor spent three weeks assembling the skeleton of an juvenile

which had been beached in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in February 1896. It was purchased from the Natural Science Establishment by the director of

Manchester Museum Manchester Museum is a museum displaying works of archaeology, anthropology and natural history and is owned by the University of Manchester, in England. Sited on Oxford Road ( A34) at the heart of the university's group of neo-Gothic buildings, ...

William Evans Hoyle Dr William Evans Hoyle FRSE (28 January 1855 – 7 February 1926) was a noted British zoologist. A specialist in deep sea creatures he worked on classification and illustrations from the Challenger Expedition from 1882 to 1888. Life Hoyle ...

in 1897, and shipped from

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, via the

Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the river ...

to the museum, in three crates. (This article is peer reviewed by Manchester Museum) "The whale was suspended from the ceiling of the mammal gallery, where it became an iconic specimen, emblematic of the Museum as a whole". In 1900, Brazenor mounted two

northern fulmar The northern fulmar (''Fulmarus glacialis''), fulmar, or Arctic fulmar is a highly abundant seabird found primarily in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. There has been one confirmed sighting in the Southern Hem ...

s for Manchester Museum. In 1905, he mounted Maggie the giraffe for the museum. This giraffe skin and that of the Indian rhinoceros for Belle Vue Zoo were presented by Messrs Jennison, who managed the zoo. During the early 20th century, Brazenor mounted the Dundee wolf (an imported skin from Canada via Dundee Museum), giving it a frightening aspect with painted "blood" on its teeth, in accordance with the

archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...

s of that era. At an unknown date, Brazenor mounted the Manchester polar bear, which was imported from the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

via Captain Milne of the

whaling ship A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

SS ''Eclipse'', and Dundee Museum. Harry Ferris Brazenor 1898.jpg, Brazenor sitting atop the Manchester sperm whale, 1898 (Manchester Museum) Day 4 - Sperm Whale (7928622358).jpg, Manchester sperm whale, in 2012 (Manchester Museum)

Salford Museum

In 1907, Brazenor mounted an

for Salford Museum. This elephant had been imported alive from

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

along with two others in 1895. It lived for twelve years at the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, giving rides to children: "His docility and urbanity of temper made him valuable as a riding elephant, and he became a great favourite with both children and adults who visited the gardens". The elephant died on 11 December 1906, of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...

, and the zoo-owner George Jennison donated the dead specimen to the museum. As a specimen of the largest living land mammal, it was exhibited alongside the smallest living mammal, a

. In 1909, Brazenor received praise for his work at Salford Museum:

Under the supervision of Mr Ben H. Mullen, director of the Salford Museums, the natural history collection since being transferred to Buile Hill has been considerably improved by arrangement and judicious additions. In no department perhaps is this so marked as the zoological sections. The elephant, for instance, mounted in such realism, is an attractive and useful exhibit, and presents a striking contrast to the shrew mouse alongside. The work that has been done among the British birds is most effective, and by the re-mounting of old specimens and the addition of new ones a collection once somewhat dilapidated is being raised into an attractive and educationally useful possession for the town. A remarkably fine case is that of marine diving birds arranged on the ledges of a cliff showing eggs, young and adult birds. Opposite this case is another containing a group of the principal wingless birds, ranging in size from the ostrich to the
kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible berry * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency Kiwi or KIWI may also ref ...
or ''apteryx''. Several representatives of the ''
Carnivora Carnivora is a Clade, monophyletic order of Placentalia, placental mammals consisting of the most recent common ancestor of all felidae, cat-like and canidae, dog-like animals, and all descendants of that ancestor. Members of this group are f ...
'' are handsomely mounted. The lion, tiger, Hymalayan bear,
hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...
, and puma are in surroundings suggestive of natural environment. In the same room is a large case devoted to the exhibition of a fine collection of heads of big game collected in
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
by Mr Robert E. Hailwood and presented by him to the Natural History Museum of his native town. The collection is one which any museum might be proud to possess. Every month this museum increases in importance and attractiveness. The taxidermy, which is of a first-rate order, is being done by Mr Harry Brazenor under the general supervision of Mr Ben H. Mullen.

Salford Museum passed all its taxidermy to other museums in 1982.

received seven examples of taxidermy by Brazenor, from Salford: they are the Salford

night monkey Night monkeys, also known as owl monkeys or douroucoulis (), are nocturnal New World monkeys of the genus ''Aotus'', the only member of the family Aotidae (). The genus comprises eleven species which are found across Panama and much of South Ame ...

, the Salford

brown woolly monkey The common woolly monkey, brown woolly monkey, or Humboldt's woolly monkey (''Lagothrix lagothricha'') is a woolly monkey from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela. It lives in groups of two to 70 individuals, usually splitting ...

, the Salford

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

, the Salford

Himalayan black bear The Himalayan black bear (''Ursus thibetanus laniger'') is a subspecies of the Asian black bear found in the Himalayas of India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, and Pakistan. Description It is distinguished from '' U. t. thibetanus'' by its longer, thicke ...

, the Salford

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

, the Salford tiger (1914), and the Salford

wedge-capped capuchin The wedge-capped capuchin or Guianan weeper capuchin (''Cebus olivaceus'') is a capuchin monkey from South America. It is found in northern Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. ''Cebus olivaceus'' is known to dwell in tall, primary forest and travel ove ...

. Leeds Museum 21 October 2021 (90).JPG, Salford night monkey (

) Leeds Museum 21 October 2021 (2).JPG, Salford brown woolly monkey ( Leeds Discovery Centre) Leeds Museum 21 October 2021 (85a).jpg, Salford orangutan (Leeds City Museum) Leeds Museum 21 October 2021 (45a).JPG, Salford Himalayan black bear (Leeds City Museum) Taxidermy mounted tiger 17 June 2021 (10).JPG, Salford tiger, 1914 (Leeds City Museum) Leeds Museum 21 October 2021 (55e).jpg, Salford leopard (Leeds City Museum) Leeds Museum 21 October 2021 (16).JPG, Salford wedge-capped capuchin (Leeds Discovery Centre)

Hancock Museum, Newcastle-on-Tyne

In 1908, Brazenor mounted a "fine

bull" for

. Museum records describe it as, "American Bull mounted. Old bull, last of original pure stock in herd at Haggerston Castle, Northumberland". In 1905 a bison fund was organised, for the preservation and mounting of the skin. Newcastle bison (3).JPG, Newcastle bison ( Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle-on-Tyne).

Purchases

Brazenor purchased or otherwise acquired some items for museums. For example, on 28 October 1905 he purchased the skull and lower jaw of a

sun bear The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'') occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly at the shoulder and weighing ...

(''Helarctos malayanus'') for Manchester Museum.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brazenor, Harry Ferris Taxidermists 1863 births 1948 deaths Manchester Museum people People from Shepherd's Bush