کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
5130253 | 1378669 | 2016 | 15 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
- A history of model-makers Messmore & Damon, and their animated prehistoric figures.
- How commercial showmen deployed novel science and technology in their displays.
- Shows the strong place of paleontology in 1920s and 1930s American culture.
- Illustrates links between commerce, spectacle and science in 1920s and 1930s US.
In 1924, the model-making company Messmore & Damon, Inc. of New York unleashed their masterpiece: the Amphibious Dinosaurus Brontosaurus, a moving, breathing, roaring animatronic dinosaur, based on displays in the American Museum of Natural History. Over the 1920s and 1930s, this became the focus of an ever-increasing publicity campaign, as Messmore & Damon exhibited prehistoric automata in department stores, the media, and the Chicago World Fair of 1933-34. These displays were hugely popular and widely discussed, drawing from the increasing public appeal of paleontology. Mixing commercial entertainment with invocations of scientific value, Messmore & Damon's prehistoric creations offer a window into the meaning and popularity of the deep time sciences in early-twentieth century America, and the links between science and spectacle in this period.
Journal: Endeavour - Volume 40, Issue 3, September 2016, Pages 163-177