Taxidermy Herring Gull by Peter Spicer & sons
Latin: Larus Argentatus
Size: approx. 73cm x 58.5cm x 40cm
Description: Peter Spicer is renowned for his wonderful tableau with painted-scene backdrops. Usually, these show woodland or mountain scenes. This particular case featuring a Herring Gull is somewhat unusual as it shows a painted seascape that sets off the imaginatively mounted bird.
Peter Spicer was born in 1893 and died 20th January 1935, aged 96, This was a good age considering his life-long use of arsenic. He moved to Leamington Spa and set up in business as a taxidermist in the year 1860 at 4 Upper Parade. This was to be the start of one of the most famous taxidermy firms ever, covering the golden age of taxidermy from birth, all the way right through to the end. According to Mr Robottom, an employee of Spicers, who was interviewed when the firm closed in 1959, "the peak years were 1904 to the First World War."