It can be easy for history buffs to glance over the permanent dioramas placed around the Denver Museum of Nature & Science without fully appreciating their artistic significance.
Today at 2 p.m., visitors can delve into the history and artistry of these frozen scenes through the “Secrets of the Dioramas” tour.
The majority of the dioramas were created under the influence of Dr. Alfred M. Bailey, the museum’s director from 1936 through 1969, with the last permanent diorama completed in 1981.
“It’s a major production,” Kris Haglund, the museum’s archivist, says of the installation process. “Between collecting the animals, construction, hiring the background and foreground artists and the taxidermists, the older dioramas would take six to eight years” from start to finish.
When the dioramas were created, the average Denverite didn’t have access to world travel, or the modern conveniences of cable television and the Internet. “The dioramas were a way to bring the world to Denver,” says Laura Holtman, public relations manager for the museum.
The 1950s were a creative heyday for the museum’s dioramas. Volunteers spent years handcrafting individual leaves for each display. Now the leaves are stored in a “leaf vault” for the occasional replacement. “The early leaves were made of wax and celluloid and hand-painted,” Haglund says.
The detailed process included creating molds, casting the wax, hand-painting and installing each individual leaf.
“Look at the moose and caribou exhibit, for example,” says Haglund. “It’s the second-largest, and there are 1,335,000 leaves in just that one diorama.”
One artist, Kent Pendleton, left a secret signature on each of his dioramas. Scattered throughout the museum, each of his seven scenes contains a largely hidden elf, either painted in the background, or as an actual figurine.
“It’s really fun for the kids to try to find them,” Holtman says. “The elves are only 2 or 3 inches tall, so you have to have a real eagle eye to spot them.”
The museum’s information desk offers a helpful cheat sheet for interested visitors who want to track down all of the elves. (Hint: Start with the Smoky Mountains and Olympic Rain Forest dioramas.)
Although the collection of exotic and endangered animals is no longer a common practice, in the past it was considered the norm.
“They used to go hunt animals and have them taxidermied for the collections,” says Holtman. “But it was not frivolously. We will preserve them for eternity if we can.”
Today’s “Secrets of the Dioramas” tour meets at 2 p.m. in front of the insect exhibit on Level 1 of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. The 45-minute tour is free with regular museum admission. $11 adults/$6 children 3-18 and seniors over 65. Call 303-322-7009 or log on to more information.
