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Editions for Half a Creature from the Sea: A Life in Stories: (Hardcover published in 2015), (Hardcover published in 2014), 1406365. CONTENTS Introduction Slog’s dad May Malone When God came to Cathleen’s garden The missing link Harry Miller’s run Half a creature from the sea Joe Quinn’s poltergeist Klaus Vogel and the bad lads For Tim and Rachel “I’ll start with things I can hardly remember, things I’ve been told about, things that are like fragments of a dream.
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Not the book you’re looking for?Preview — Half a Creature from the Sea by David Almond
In fiction, real worlds merge with dreamed worlds. Real people walk with ghosts and figments. Earthly truth goes hand in hand with watery lies…
May Malone is said to have a monster in her house, but what Norman finds there may just be the angel he needs. Joe Quinn’s house is noisy with poltergeists, or could it be Davie’s raging causing the disturbance? Fragile Annie learns...more
May Malone is said to have a monster in her house, but what Norman finds there may just be the angel he needs. Joe Quinn’s house is noisy with poltergeists, or could it be Davie’s raging causing the disturbance? Fragile Annie learns...more
Published September 22nd 2015 by Candlewick Press (first published 2007)
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May 30, 2019Renee Godding rated it it was ok
Loved the titular story, but unfortunately didn’t care for the other 7 of them.
Sep 24, 2015Alex (not a dude) Baugh rated it it was amazing
David Almond has been one of my favorite, go-to authors for a long time now. He always manages to write stories that seem to be about the ordinary until he peels the ordinary away and reveals the extraordinary in life. Each one of his works has a distinctive voice and perspective and I have often wondered where or how Almond comes up with his ideas. I think you will agree that novels like Skellig and The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean Telt by Hisself, and his latest, A Song for Ella Grey, a...more
Aug 11, 2016Sam rated it liked it · review of another edition Shelves: biography, fantasy, teens, horror, contemporary-fiction, humour, mystery, shorts, childrens, proper-books
Having picked this up on a whim (needed a white covered book for a reading challenge) I didn't really know what to expect, and to be honest I'm still not sure what to make of it. Almond has an intriguing writing style that flows beautifully but I found most of his stories a little weird and it felt as if there was something else hidden behind the words that I couldn't quite uncover. Each story has been inspired by a moment or event in Almond's life, as written in the short introduction for each...more
Sep 23, 2017Bri rated it liked it
'What am I? Body, brain, soul, or all of these? Infant, boy, man, or all of those things together? Or nothing, just nothing at all?'
Alternative Titles Created By Me:
- Perhaps Ghosts Are Real: A Life in Tales
- I Was A Rude Preteen: A Life in Stories
- 1950's-60's Scottish Slang Is Difficult To Read: A Life of Confusion
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Let me just say that the first story of the collection was terribly weak. I almost DNF'ed only 15 pages in. I was confused and bored and confused once more. I thought this bo...more
“Go on. Run and play. Those that can run should run, those that can play should play.”
“Places to go,” she sighs. “People to see. A life to live.”
I love David Almond’s approach toward short stories. He regards stories as living things, they must be solid and touchable. He creates stories based on ordinary places and sew them into extraordinary. The result? These 8 short stories is easy to read, begins with ordinary situation and characters and end with touching lessons—about how important hope is...more
“Places to go,” she sighs. “People to see. A life to live.”
I love David Almond’s approach toward short stories. He regards stories as living things, they must be solid and touchable. He creates stories based on ordinary places and sew them into extraordinary. The result? These 8 short stories is easy to read, begins with ordinary situation and characters and end with touching lessons—about how important hope is...more
Aug 02, 2015Tanja rated it it was amazing
David Almond's stories are always extremely creative; at the same time I find them often strange and weird, as the lines between reality and paranormal are blurred and I am often not sure whether I really enjoy the stories, yet they keep me intrigued and reading. This book is somehow no exception, yet it took me much less time to warm up to the stories and characters than in other books and I can honestly say at the end of the book I loved it! Inspired by the author's childhood, this collection...more
Oct 26, 2015Lara rated it really liked it Shelves: libraried, young-adult, short-stories-novellas-essays, fantasy, cover-candy, read-in-2015
I thought it was really interesting, the way he did this. Before each story, Almond describes his life--where he lived as a kid, his friends, what was going on in his family and in the world around him at the time, and talks about how those things lead to him writing the story that follows. The stories are good. As probably everyone in the world knows by now I'm not generally a big fan of short stories, but I feel like Almond is actually really good at them, and I felt like the book got stronger...more
Oct 24, 2014Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This book was wonderful. I don't often read short story books (apart from Roald Dahl) but i was very glad I read this. The stories themselves were so interesting, funny and unique. I especially loved the biography chapters which proceeded each story as it give you a good sense of why the story was written and you get to know the author very well. My favourite story was Harry Miller's Run because you just really loved the old man and his story. The images of Harry, Norman, Stanley & Veronica...more
Feb 19, 2015Laura Vaughan rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Almond's writing is haunting. This collection of short stories explores elements of magical realism in everyday environments; snippets of autobiographical prose intersperse the stories to give a well informed observation of the following tale.
The language is beautiful and often brings goosebumps and sometimes a few tears. This is a collection that will stay with you long after the final page.
Sometimes the written dialect is a little jarring, but Almond's imagery more than makes up for it.
Be s...more
The language is beautiful and often brings goosebumps and sometimes a few tears. This is a collection that will stay with you long after the final page.
Sometimes the written dialect is a little jarring, but Almond's imagery more than makes up for it.
Be s...more
Eight short stories, some of which worked better than others, interspersed with autobiographical notes, which I very much enjoyed. A beautifully written mixed bag.
Got about half way through, and while the stories were intriguing, I was not compelled to finish them all.
Nov 12, 2014Michael Earp rated it really liked it · review of another edition
The intros to each short story really add to the whole reading experience. I really enjoyed it.
Stumbling into the writing of David Almond has been one of my very happiest accidents as a reader in recent years, and delving deeper into his work has proved to be an ever-shifting and constant joy and surprise. Half a Creature from the Sea is a short story collection and memoir and ars poetica wrapped in one; filled with the sorts of sharp delights, unexpected turns of narrative, and bald, unflinching admissions that make Almond's often fantastical work seem so genuine and immediate. One gets...more
Oct 05, 2018Rebecca rated it really liked it
These reflective stories based on the author's childhood are infused with magic and fantasy, much like his wonderful novels (Skellig is my favorite so far). I enjoyed them, but taking the YA perspective, I don't think many of the teen readers I know would gravitate towards the book. Also, some young readers (if they're American) may have trouble reading the English vernacular. But it is a good collection of vignettes about growing up, being rooted in a particular place and time, and making sense...more
Apr 30, 2018Eleanor Luhar rated it liked it · review of another edition
David Almond is definitely a unique author.
This book is a collection of short stories based on Almond's own childhood, mixed in with anecdotes of his own experiences. Like most of Almond's writing, there is a very strange magic realism throughout these stories.
The stories are all based in Felling-on-Tyne, but Almond notes how he altered the setting to fit his stories. The characters are also a mix of fictional and real people.
Religion was clearly a big part of Almond's upbringing, and he envelop...more
This book is a collection of short stories based on Almond's own childhood, mixed in with anecdotes of his own experiences. Like most of Almond's writing, there is a very strange magic realism throughout these stories.
The stories are all based in Felling-on-Tyne, but Almond notes how he altered the setting to fit his stories. The characters are also a mix of fictional and real people.
Religion was clearly a big part of Almond's upbringing, and he envelop...more
Jul 03, 2017Ari rated it really liked it
David Almond is possibly my favorite author ever? His style is so distinctive and so beautiful, and his stories are captivating in a way that honestly feels like an enchantment. I liked the stories in these collection individually, but even more than that I loved the way they wove together to create this weird and magical world and I love that the author's own story is woven in there too. A lovely book.
Loved this selection of short stories and David Almond's fabulous introductions. They evoke so clearly that time when you're working out what's real and what isn't; what's true and what's false; what is good disguised as evil and evil disguised as good; and so often they're the same thing. I recognise how accurately the influence of Catholicism is drawn - the refuge and torment of so many.
Jul 30, 2017Marie Leonard hullis rated it really liked it
I loved reading David Almond's stories to my children when they were younger. It was fascinating to read this collection of stories and memoir because they provide some insight to the inspiration and vision a truly original writer. Harry Miller's Run made me cry.
Would have appreciated a warning that there would be a story about suicide
Jan 14, 2018Emma Vardy rated it liked it · review of another edition
Collection of short stories. Liked each one had a introduction telling the reader the ideas behind the story. Liked each story in the book.
It looked really good when I first picked it up but then I found out it was not that good
Jan 12, 2019Karine Samaroo rated it really liked it
Literally life in stories. It was well written, an easy book to start the year. Raises some moral questions within oneself, brilliant book!
Sep 23, 2017Colby rated it really liked it
A poignant, parochial little gem - deeper than one would expect; thoughtful and stirring.
Oct 18, 2017Claire O'Sullivan rated it liked it
Read with Prison Reading Group as part of the Durham Book Festival Big Read. A pleasant enough read.
The thing with David Almond is there always seems to be an underlying message that I can never seem to grasp...so to me it's just alot if veryy random stories.
May 26, 2015Jenna (Falling Letters) rated it really liked it
Review originally posted 16 June 2015 on Falling Letters. I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
I last read a short story collection years ago, I suppose. I only read such collections when an author I adore publishes one. Why did I pick up Half a Creature from the Sea? This sentence from the NetGalley description sold it for me: 'Set in the northern English Tyneside country of the author’s childhood, these eight short stories by the incomparable David Almond evoke gritty realities a...more
I last read a short story collection years ago, I suppose. I only read such collections when an author I adore publishes one. Why did I pick up Half a Creature from the Sea? This sentence from the NetGalley description sold it for me: 'Set in the northern English Tyneside country of the author’s childhood, these eight short stories by the incomparable David Almond evoke gritty realities a...more
Read the first two stories but could not get into the style.
Jul 18, 2016Anna Louise rated it liked it · review of another edition
Author - David Almond
Genres - Mystery, fiction, anthology, friendship
Age Group Recommendation - 9+
Cover - In my opinion, the cover of this short story collection is very interesting because there are quite random things thrown on it that you wouldn't usually expect to see together, such as a giraffe, a house and a gramophone floating in the sea.
Some readers may think that each illustration represents a story; I disagree. Some of them might do, but I don't think all of them fit in and the office...more
Genres - Mystery, fiction, anthology, friendship
Age Group Recommendation - 9+
Cover - In my opinion, the cover of this short story collection is very interesting because there are quite random things thrown on it that you wouldn't usually expect to see together, such as a giraffe, a house and a gramophone floating in the sea.
Some readers may think that each illustration represents a story; I disagree. Some of them might do, but I don't think all of them fit in and the office...more
Jul 06, 2015Tasha rated it it was amazing
In a series of short stories, master author Almond takes readers back to the magical times of his childhood as well as our own. The stories are all set in the places that Almond grew up in. The stories range in topic, but each one offers glimpses of wonder and deep understanding. They also all speak to the power of stories in our lives, whether they are to reveal or to hide the truth. The eight stories in the book give us characters living normal yet extraordinary lives. There is the girl reject...more
I actually haven't read any of David Almond's works before, but this collection of short stories really tugged at my heartstrings. There's a reason I don't read short stories often, and it's because I always, always want more. Never has this rung more true with this book. I particularly loved the titular story, Half a Creature from the Sea , itself.
It is safe to say that I will be reading more of Almond's work in future.
REREAD NOTES
It's been a year since I read this book. I haven't read any of...more
It is safe to say that I will be reading more of Almond's work in future.
REREAD NOTES
It's been a year since I read this book. I haven't read any of...more
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David Almond is a British children's writer who has penned several novels, each one to critical acclaim. He was born and raised in Felling and Newcastle in post-industrial North East England and educated at the University of East Anglia. When he was young, he found his love of writing when some short stories of his were published in a local magazine. He started out as an author of adult fiction be...more
(Redirected from Glass Sea Creatures)
A sample of the Blaschka invertebrate models
The glass sea creatures (alternately called the Blaschka sea creatures, glass marine invertebrates, and Blaschka invertebrate models) are works of glass artistsLeopold and Rudolf Blaschka. The spiritual predecessors of the Glass Flowers, the sea creatures were the output of the Blaschkas' successful mail-order business of supplying museums and private collectors around the world with sets of glass models of marine invertebrates.
Between 1863 and 1880, the Blaschkas – working in Dresden – executed at least 10,000 of these highly detailed glass models, representing some 700 different species.[1]
A number of large collections of the models are held by museums and other academic institutions. Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology holds 430 items in its Blaschka Glass Invertebrate Collection and displays about 60 at any given time.[2]Cornell University has about 570 items in its collection and has restored some 170 of these,[3] with many others in its collection stored at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.[4] The largest collection in Europe, of 530 pieces, is at Ireland's Natural History Museum. Other holdings include the Boston Museum of Science; Natural History Museum in London, Redpath Museum of McGill University in Montreal, Natural History Museum in Geneva, and both Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin in Ireland;[5]Hancock Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne, England; The Grant Museum of Zoology[6] in London, and Aquarium-Museum in Liège, Belgium.[7]
- 5The models today
- 5.2Harvard
Inspiration[edit]
Rudolf (standing), Caroline, and Leopold Blaschka in the garden of their Dresden home
![Sea Sea](/uploads/1/2/4/9/124958303/258210770.jpg)
In 1853, shortly after the death of his father and wife Caroline, the latter to a cholera epidemic, Leopold Blaschka – grief stricken and in need of a vacation – traveled to the United States. En route the ship was becalmed and lay still upon the sea for two weeks.[8] During this period of forced idleness, Leopold studied and sketched the local marine invertebrate population, intrigued by the transparency of their bodies similar to the glass his family had long worked.[9]
Leopold felt a sense of quiet, inspirational, wonder at these luminescent ocean dwellers, a sense which he recorded and translated by Henri Reiling: 'It is a beautiful night in May. Hopeful, we look out over the darkness of the sea, which is as smooth as a mirror; there emerges all around in various places a flashlike bundle of light beams, as if it is surrounded by thousands of sparks, that form true bundles of fire and of other bright lighting spots, and the seemingly mirrored stars. There emerges close before us a small spot in a sharp greenish light, which becomes ever larger and larger and finally becomes a bright shining sunlike figure.'[8]
This sense of wonder would fuel his later work but, in the meantime and upon his return to Dresden, Leopold focused on his family business which was the production the glass eyes, costume ornaments, lab equipment, and other such fancy goods and specialty items that only a master Lampworker could accomplish;[10] plus the task of furthering the training of his son and apprentice (and eventual successor), Rudolf Blaschka. However, like anyone, he did have free time, and his hobby was to make glass models of plants – as opposed to invertebrates. This would, many years later, become a base for the fabled Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants (otherwise known as the Glass Flowers), but, for the moment, such artistry was naught but an amusing and profitless pastime done between his various commissions.[10] Yet, unsurprisingly given their stunning quality, this amusing hobby – itself born out of seeking consolation in nature upon his wife's death – attracted attention. Aristocratic attention, as it turned out, specifically the eyes of Prince Camille de Rohan who, being something of a naturalist himself, commissioned the Blaschkas to craft 100 glass orchids for his private collection.[11] Naturally the Prince was more than a little impressed by the mastery Leopold's work, and 'between 1860 and 1862, the prince exhibited about 100 models of orchids and other exotic plants, which he displayed on two artificial tree trunks in his palace in Prague,'[8] a fateful act which brought the skill of the Blaschkas to the attention of another – man whom the Prince had actually once introduced to Leopold: a certain Professor Ludwig Reichenbach.[12]
Reichenbach's request[edit]
Professor Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach
Director of the natural history museum in Dresden, Prof. Reichenbach was faced with an annoying yet seemingly unsolvable problem in regards to showing marine life. Land-based flora and fauna was not an issue, for it was a relatively simple matter to exhibit mounted and stuffed creatures such as gorillas and elephants, there lifelike poses attracting and exciting the museums visitors. Invertebrates, however, and by their very nature, posed a problem.[9][11][13] In the 19th century the only practiced method of showcasing them was to take a live specimen and place it in a sealed jar of alcohol.[14] This of course killed it but, more importantly, time and their lack of hard parts eventually rendered them into little more than colorless floating blobs of jelly. Neither pretty nor a terribly effective teaching tool, Prof. Reichenbach wanted something more, specifically 3D colored models of marine invertebrates that were both lifelike and able to stand the test of time.[10] And, per remarkably coincidence, in 1863 'saw an exhibition of highly detailed, realistic glass flowers created by a Bohemian lampworker named Leopold Blaschka.'[14]
Blaschka model of sea anemones
Enchanted by the botanical models and positive that Leopold held the key to ending his own showcasing issue, in 1863[9] Reichenbach convinced and commissioned Leopold to produce twelve model sea anemones.[11][12][15] These marine models, hailed as 'an artistic marvel in the field of science and a scientific marvel in the field of art,'[16] were a great improvement on previous methods of presenting such creatures: drawings, pressing, photographs and papier-mâché or wax models.[9][17] and exactly what Prof. Reichenbach needed. Moreover they, at last, provided an outlet for the wonder Leopold had felt all those years ago when observing the phosphorescent ocean life. The key fact, though, was that these glass marine models were, as would soon be acknowledged, 'perfectly true to nature,'[18] and as such represented an extraordinary opportunity boh for the scientific community and the Blaschkas themselves. Knowing this and thrilled with his newly acquired set of glass sea creatures, Reichenbach advised Leopold to drop his current and generations long family business of glass fancy goods and the like in favor of selling glass marine invertebrates to museums, aquaria, universities, and private collectors.[9][19] Advice which would prove wise and fateful both economically and scientifically, for Leopold did as the Dresden natural history museum director suggested.
A successful business[edit]
Blaschka model of jellyfish
Unlike the eventual Glass Flower, a private commission to a single University's museum, the Blaschka glass sea creatures were a global enterprise; and not just for museums and other such educational institutes, for 'as popular interest in the history and sciences of the natural world burgeoned during the latter half of the 19th century, the sea became particularly alluring. The spread of home aquariums and the advent of deep-sea diving revealed a new frontier, filled with wondrous and unusual creatures.'[20] In short, for the first time since Darwin, there was great universal interest in the natural world, and it became a sign of culture, of worldliness and sophistication, to exhibit examples of life in one's drawing rooms and parlors.[21] Hence private individuals were after these extraordinary models as well, and the Blaschkas, knowing this and knowing that Reichenbach was correct in that many museums would want them, made a mail-order business out of it. This business was hugely successful and they ended up making and selling a believed 10,000 of glass invertebrates dispersed in a diaspora of shipments all across the globe.[2][22] Indeed, 'the world had never seen anything quite like the beautiful, scientifically accurate Blaschka models'[23] and yet they were available via so common a means as mail-order per one's local card catalog; for example, Ward's Natural Science would sell a small glass octopus for approximately $2.50.[10] Not glorious, perhaps, but highly effective, and museums and universities began purchasing them en masse to put on display much as Prof. Reichenbach had – for natural history museums directors the world over had the same marine invertebrate showcasing problem.[8] In short, Blaschka invertebrate models mail-order enterprise succeeded for two reason: 1- there was a huge and global demand; 2- they were the only and best glass artists capable of crafting literally scientifically flawless models. Initially the designs for these were based on drawings in books, but Leopold was soon able to use his earlier drawings to produce highly detailed models of other species,[9] and his reputation quickly spread.[11]
As Leopold wrote in an English-language trade catalog preserved at the Rakow Research Library at The Corning Museum of Glass: '[Models of invertebrate animals] have been purchased by... museums and scholastic establishments in all the quarters of the globe... in New Zealand... in Tokio [sic], Japan... for the Indian Museum in Calcutta... in the United States of America by Professor Ward's Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, New York; for the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cambridge, Massachusetts; for the Boston Society of Natural History; the University of Cornell; the Wellesley Female College... In Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland, copies have been conveyed to London, Edinburgh and Dublin... In Austria, orders have not only been made for the Imperial Royal Court collection, but also for the universities in Innsbruck, Graz, Czernovitz, and so forth. In Germany, purchases have been made for the universities of Berlin, Bonn, Koenigsberg, Jena, Leipzig, Rostock and many other museums.'[8]
Leopold gradually extended his range of work by studying marine animals from the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Mediterranean,[9] and later constructed an aquarium at his house, in order to keep live specimens from which to model.[11]
Yet the fate of the marine invertebrate mail-order business was ultimately to be tied to those bought by Harvard'sMuseum of Comparative Zoology. At some time after the museum's founding in 1859, a collection of 430 glass sea creatures were purchased by either Professor Louis Agassiz, the first director, or his son and successor Alexander Agassiz.[24] This set was not the largest ever sold and the models were no different from any of the others made by the Blaschkas, but their affect was to be greater than all the rest combined.
From invertebrates to flowers[edit]
Professor George Lincoln Goodale
Paradoxically and in historically circular twist, the reason that the glass sea creatures sold to Harvard were to prove so crucial was because the University would soon, and did, open its new Botanical Museum in 1888. Given in effect a series of empty rooms and invited to make a museum for teaching botany, the first director, Professor George Lincoln Goodale, faced a familiar problem.[10] At that time, Harvard was the global center of botanical study and, as such, Prof. Goodale wanted the best for his students, but the only used method was showcasing pressed and carefully labeled botanical specimens – a methodology that offered a twofold problem: being pressed, the specimens were two-dimensional and tended to lose their color.[25][26] Hence they were hardly the ideal teaching tools.[10] In fact, Goodale's problem was essentially the same as Reichenbach's had been, but applied to botany rather than marine biology for, in both cases, the practiced method of exhibition robbed the specimens of color and three-dimensional form.
A glass model of a cactus at the Harvard Museum of Natural History
Moreover and also like Prof. Reichenbach, Prof. Goodale first learned of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschkas' skill per an exhibition – that being the glass marine invertebrates belonging to the Museum of Comparative Zoology. And, like Reichenbach, upon seeing the Blaschkas' work Goodale was instantly sure that they held the answer to his showcasing problem. Thus, in yet another direct historical parallel, in 1886 the Blaschkas were approached by Professor Goodale for the sole purpose of finding them, with a request to make a series of glass botanical models for Harvard. Naturally Leopold was initially unwilling as, again, his current business of selling glass marine invertebrates was booming; but, eventually, the famed glass artists agreed to send test-models to the U.S. and, although damaged in customs,[27] the fragments convinced Goodale that Blaschka glass art was a more than worthy educational investment. Thus, with the generous sponsorship of Elizabeth C. Ware and her daughter Mary, the initial contract was signed and dictated that the Blaschkas need only work half-time on the models, thus allowing them to continue their production of the Glass sea creatures. However, in 1890, they and Goodale – acting on behalf of the Wares – signed an updated version that allowed Leopold and Rudolf to work on them (the Glass Flowers) full-time;[28][29][30] though some sources describe the agreement as a shift from a 3-year contract to a 10-year one, agreed to once Goodale convinced Mary and her mother of the wisdom in doing so.[31] Regardless, the production and time of the Glass sea creatures was over, their fame as well as the attention of their makers shifting to the Glass Flowers – a project that, fifty years later, ended with the death of Rudolf Blaschka (Leopold having died thirty-nine years earlier).
The models today[edit]
Today, over a century after their making, the Glass sea creatures live in the shadow of their younger botanical cousins, so much so that many of those well aware of the Glass Flowers have never even heard of them. The fact is that, 'gradually, these glass animals began to disappear, their habitats shifting into dusty closets and museum storage. People began to forget that these incredible glass creations had existed in the first place.'[23]
Corning[edit]
With a collection 700 models bought in 1888,[32] the Corning Museum of Glass boasts the largest known collection of Blaschka sea creatures. Displayed (at least in part) in an exhibition named Fragile Legacy, 'researchers at Cornell are using the collection as a time capsule for seeking out and documenting the creatures still living in our oceans today.'
Corning's exhibit allows visitors to try crafting glass sea slugs[33] as well as view subsequent works inspired by the Blaschkas.[34] The exhibit is open through January 8, 2017. The Corning Museum of Glass produced a film entitled Fragile Legacy[35] exploring the related topics of the Glass sea creatures and the living ones they represent.
Harvard[edit]
Front view of Harvard's temporary renovation exhibit
Even those specimens purchased by Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) suffered a degree of neglect; they were not forgotten, but they were scattered much as the quote above describes, across several departments, and it was believed that the University only possessed 60-70 models (rather than the actual 430).[36] Recently Harvard has restored and, to best of their abilities, repaired the Glass sea creatures with the hired and instrumental help of Preservation Specialist and Glass Worker Elizabeth R. Brill of Corning, New York, a marine biologist and daughter of a glass chemist.[37] (Brill later co-authored a book about the Glass sea creatures.) Today they form the Harvard Museum of Natural HistorySea Creatures in Glass display which, when combined with the Glass Flowers, form the largest Blaschka collection on display in the world.[38]
Harvard's renovation exhibit[edit]
For a several month period beginning in 2015 and set to end in the early summer of 2016, the HMNH set up a 'temporary display highlighting twenty-seven of the most popular plant models as well as some items from the Blaschka archives'[39] while the main Glass Flowers exhibit was under renovation. This exhibit was unique because it was the first recorded time that the Glass Flowers have been jointly exhibited with the Glass sea creatures in a major and equal display.[39] The renovation exhibit was dismantled when, on May 21, 2016, the main Glass Flowers exhibit reopened. The Glass sea creatures remained as a permanent exhibit.
Cornell[edit]
In 1885 Andrew Dixon White, first president of Cornell University, authorized purchase of 570 glass marine invertebrates,[40] 'some of which are on exhibit at Corson Mudd Hall and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum, making Cornell one of the few universities in the world where students and the public can view these wondrous creations.'[41] However and like so many of their counterpart collections, they were neglected after a time and, in this case, remained forgotten under dust and grit until the latter half of the 20th century.[40] Currently Cornell has restored approximately 170 of the models thus far and 'restoration work will continue as funding allows.'[42]
National Museum of Ireland[edit]
The Natural History Museum branch of the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin was among the Blaschkas' 'earliest customers and initially commissioned 85 glass models, paying the then significant sum of £15. It went on to purchase 530 models from the Blaschkas' – making it the largest collection of Blaschka Invertebrate Models in Europe[43] Since then, the Dead Zoo, as Ireland's Natural History Museum is sometimes called,[44][45] 'has undertaken research on the conservation of these delicate objects.'[46] Noteworthy in that, like Corning, they have forever taken excellent care of the Sea Creatures, the National Museum of Ireland is another center of learning regarding the Blaschkas; a fact proven in that, in 2006, they hosted (alongside University College Dublin) the Dublin Blaschka Congress, 'conceived as a gathering to bring together the diverse scholarly disciplines that are uniquely, if eccentrically, joined in the study of scientific glass models.'[47] Crucially and naturally, the Congress dealt with the Glass Flowers no less than their older maritime cousins.[48]
University of Wisconsin–Madison[edit]
In 2007 the University of Wisconsin–Madison Zoological Museum accidentally uncovered their hitherto forgotten 50-model collection in a 'series of keyholes under the exhibit cases along a first-floor corridor[20] Curator Paula Holahan made the discovery, stating 'It's not uncommon to find things packed away in any museum that is over 100 years old.' The specimens, currently too brittle to be publicly displayed, remain in storage until conservation measures are funded and completed. These funds are not materializing, although the museum hopes to one willing to sponsor the restoration before the effects of age become irreversible.[20]
Natural History Museum, Wollaston Hall, Nottingham, England[edit]
There is a large display of marine invertebrates and also two models of single cell animals living in fresh water.
Lost works[edit]
Many of the Glass sea creatures are yet to be located; the Leopolds' record books tell where many of the shipments went,[49] yet the condition and current whereabouts of the majority of these collections remains unknown. The original six glass sea anemones purchased by Professor Reichenbach in 1863 as well as the rest of that first collection were destroyed in the Bombing of Dresden in World War II.[50]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Crystal Sarakas, Corning exhibit shows sea creatures in glass, Democrat & Chronicle (August 6, 2016).
- ^ abBlaschka Glass Invertebrate Collection, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (2016),
- ^Out of the Teeming Sea: The Cornell Collection of Blaschka Invertebrate Models, Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University.
- ^More Info, Out of the Teeming Sea: The Cornell Collection of Blaschka Invertebrate Models], Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University.
- ^The Blaschka collection at University College Dublin rebuilding its history
- ^UCL. 'Blaschka Glass Models of Invertebrates'. UCL. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ^Blaschkas Around the World, Corning Museum of Glass.
- ^ abcdeCorning Museum of Glass: Blaschkas' Glass Models of Invertebrate Animals (1863–1890)
- ^ abcdefg'Förderverein 'Naturwissenschaftliche Glaskunst Blaschka-Haus e. V'. (The Promotional Association 'Scientific Glass Art – Blaschka-Haus e. V.')'. Urania-dresden.de. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2015-06-10.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
Short title: 'Blaschka – English version'. Translation by Peter Silbernagl. Lead sentence: 'In September 2000, an association was founded in Dresden-Hosterwitz with the aim to establish a museum-type memorial for the work of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka and to treasure the memory of those two glass-artists.'
Earliest English-language title: The Association 'Naturwissenschaftliche Glaskunst – Blaschka-Haus e.V.'. Johanna Dühning, Chairman of the Association; translation by Benjamin Pentzold (). - ^ abcdefHarvard University Herbaria and Botany Libraries
- ^ abcde'Leopold + Rudolf Blaschka {...} The Glass Aquarium {...}'. Design Museum (designmuseum.org). Retrieved 2015-06-10.
- ^ abA Tale of Two Glassworkers and Their Marine Marvels
- ^Cornell University
- ^ abThe Blaschka Archive
- ^Museum of Natural History Berlin, Historical collection of pictures and writings – Katalog über Blaschka's Modelle, L. Blaschka, Dresden, 1885
- ^https://museum.wales/articles/2007-05-15/Sea-creatures-of-the-deep---the-Blaschka-Glass-models/
- ^Goodyear, Anne Collins, and Weitekamp, Margaret A. Analyzing Art and Aesthetics. Artefacts: Studies in the History of Science and Technology ; v. 9. 2013.
- ^Fragile Legacy: The Marine Invertebrate Glass Models of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka
- ^'Leopold + Rudolf Blaschka {...} The Glass Aquarium {...}'. Design Museum (designmuseum.org). Retrieved 2015-06-10.
- ^ abcUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison: ‘Glass menagerie:’ Museum unearths exotic stash of glass sea creatures
- ^Restoring Blaschka Sea Creatures in Glass
- ^http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/10/exhibition-talk-film-explore-sea-glass
- ^ abhttp://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-delicate-glass-sea-creatures-of-leopold-and-rudolf-blaschka
- ^Restoring Blaschka Sea Creatures in Glass
- ^http://hmnh.harvard.edu/glass-flowers
- ^http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/goodale-george.pdf National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
- ^http://www.cmog.org/article/glass-flowers
- ^Schultes, Richard Evans., William A. Davis, and Hillel Burger. The Glass Flowers at Harvard. New York: Dutton, 1982. Print.
- ^'The Archives of Rudolph and Leopold Blaschka and the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants'. Harvard University Herbaria. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^The Corning Museum of Glass (Blaschkas’ Glass Botanical Models (1886–1936))
- ^Rossi-Wilcox, Susan M., and David Whitehouse. Drawing upon Nature: Studies for the Blaschkas' Glass Models. Corning, NY: Corning Museum of Glass, 2007. Print.
- ^Fragile Legacy: The Marine Invertebrate Glass Models of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka
- ^Fragile Legacy
- ^Inspired by Blaschka
- ^Fragile Legacy
- ^Restoring Blaschka Sea Creatures in Glass
- ^Undersea life, clear as glass
- ^Restoring Blaschka Sea Creatures in Glass
- ^ abGlass Flowers Renovation Project Frequently Asked Questions (Harvard University Herbaria and Botany Libraries)
- ^ abhttp://fragilelegacy.info/
- ^Cornell University: History of the Blaschka Collection
- ^http://blaschkagallery.mannlib.cornell.edu/index.php
- ^The glass menagerie (The Irish Times)
- ^Clerkin, Paul. 'Natural History Museum, Merrion Square, Dublin'. Architecture of Ireland. Archiseek. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ^Hoque, Abeer (2006-05-27). 'Notes on Dublin'. The Daily Star. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ^Blaschka Glass
- ^Sigwart, Julia D. 'Crystal creatures: context for the Dublin Blaschka Congress.' Historical Biology 20.1 (2008): 1-10.
- ^Proceedings of the Dublin Blaschka Congress, special issue, Historical Biology 20 no. 1 (2008).
- ^https://dm.cmog.org/blaschka/blaschka_web.html
- ^Museum of Natural History Berlin, Historical collection of pictures and writings – Katalog über Blaschka's Modelle, L. Blaschka, Dresden, 1885
External links[edit]
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