I have lots of actual photos from the AMNH to supplement my little comic from yesterday's post, so I thought I would share some of the diorama-ific goodness with you.
When I was looking through my photos, I noticed two things:
1.) It's unbelievable how much some of the (three dimensional!) dioramas look like 19th century paintings. Especially when photographed! They are really things of beauty.
2.) Even though the dinosaur wing is my second favorite place (the first being the bi-level underwater chamber), I have no good photos of anything from it. I think that can be chalked up to the different approach in there: it's bright, white, not cavernous at all, and the dioramas (if there are any) are quite spare...to complement the bones, I suppose.
(I knew there was something different about that polar bear...and looking at my post from a few years ago, my suspicions were confirmed!)
Also, I am crazy about those little prehistoric under-sea dioramas. They are so nostalgic and comforting...I think they look a lot like illustrations in my childhood World Book encyclopedia or something.
Tiny skunk babies!
When I lived in NY, I would go to the Natural History Museum to get some quiet time in the dark, cool beautiful world they've created. It had been so quiet + deserted every time I've been, in fact, that I've actually worried for them! This time, it was hustling and bustling with tons of schoolkids, grownups, travelers, etc.
But it didn't diminish the magic that place holds for me. Not one bit.
