This past weekend Blog Aquatic left the sunny warmth of the West Coast and headed East to visit special sister to Aquatic Blog, Octopus Cake. Because so many of my devoted blog readers hail from the greater Boston area (ok, just Dan), I thought Blog Aquatic readers would appreciate an update on one of the more quirker aquatic gems to be found in the little-city-that-could. The lobster? The harbor? No. I'm talking of course about the glass sea creatures of the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Glass sea creatures? We were initially suspicious as well. But these meticulously-constructed glass animals embody the kind of neurotic precision and obsessive fanaticism that is the true Blog Aquatic spirit. A German father and son team, Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, created these shockingly lifelike representations of underwater invertebrates in the late 19th century. Originally commissioned for the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, the sea creatures were used as teaching tools.
The exhibit currently on display is one of a much larger collection that also includes the Blaschkas' more famous glass flower sculptures. The sea creatures include jellyfish, octopi and even mysterious animals called sea pens. (Futher Blog Aquatic research found that the strange sea pens are in the same phylum as jellyfish, or Cnidaria.) Here are just a sampling of the Blaschka's incredible handiwork:
As if their manic fascination with sea creatures was not enough for us to revere the Blaschkas, I was further heartened to learn that Leopold Blaschka also kept a pet snail. Yes. A pet snail.
Leopold named the snail Lotte, and the two co-existed peaceably for some eight years until Lotte the Snail's death. Yes- 8 years. The current exhibit on display at Harvard actually includes Lotte's shell-- as well as an epitaph that Leopold wrote for his dear snail.
Oh Leopold. Oh Lotte.
More on my edible aquatic adventures of Boston in later posts...
2 comments:
What a delightful entry. Hope readers will come see the exhibition. The museum is open every day, 9 am to 5 pm, and is just a 6-7 minute walk from the Harvard Square T stop.
Might you send me a couple of your best photos? Those were lovely.
Thanks. Best, Blue (PR at museum)
hmnhpr@oeb.harvard.edu
First of all, the museum people read your blog! Second of all, please oh please, won't you post the snail epitaph?? please?
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