Animals
The Powell-Cotton dioramas of scenes of African and Asian animal life are unequalled in the UK for their size and quality.
Dioramas depict mounted animals in a representation of their natural habitat. Eight large dioramas through three galleries display more than 500 animals superbly presented to Major Powell-Cotton's exacting specifications by the London company of Rowland Ward, the leading taxidermy studio of the day.
'The Vale of Kashmir' - the first at Quex - was conceived in 1896 and we claim it to be the earliest surviving large mammal habitat diorama in the world. 'The Jungle' in Gallery 1 is one of the largest displays of Rowland Ward's work still surviving.
Some of the scenery and backdrops in the dioramas were built by theatre set-dressers from Margate to provide the illusion of vast, wild landscapes, the natural environments of the animals assembled by the Major over half a century of scientific collecting.
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