Before Hornaday, common practice in museums was to mount single specimens, stiff-legged, on plain wooden bases. His vision was to arrange groups of animals, posed naturally, in a naturalistic setting--the way he remembered them from his years as a hunter, collecting specimens. Hornaday designed one of the first modern dioramas in the US around a family of orangutans he had collected. It created a sensation and set a new standard for museum exhibits.

The Museum's orangutan diorama closely resembles the first Hornaday exhibit. These specimens were collected by Hornaday in 1877

The Hornaday Collection
Hornaday's contract with Wards allowed him to keep one each of every species of animal he collected. His dream was to use the specimens help build a museum in Iowa. In 1886 he donated 105 birds and 20 mammals, including many rare Australian marsupials and birds, to the Museum. The gift marked a priceless addition to the University's teaching resources and a prestigious coup for the new director, Charles C. Nutting, who went on to earn an international reputation for museum leadership. Many of the Hornaday specimens are still on display.

More about Hornaday's role in the Widlife Conservation Movement
by the Eddyville and Blakesburg 6th grade.