Two Photographs Showing A Mrs. M. A. Maxwell In The Field

ANONYMOUS

Publication: Privately photographed, 1876, Boulder

Martha Ann Maxwell, née Dartt (1831-1881), also known as "The Colorado Huntress," was the first female field naturalist and taxidermist to obtain and prepare her own specimens. After shooting native birds and mammals, she prepared them for exhibit by reconstructing their frames in plaster and stretching the treated skins over them. She set a precedent for showing the animals in lifelike poses surrounded by a natural setting. Among her many contributions to science, she was the first person to find and identify the Colorado screech owl. In her honor, a Smithsonian ornithologist named the bird for her, Scops asio maxwellae. To support her work and her family, Maxwell established a museum and charged admission to those who wanted to see her collection. The Rocky Mountain Museum first opened in Boulder, Colorado in 1874, and the response by experts was enthusiastic. Ferdinand V. Hayden of the U.S. Geological Survey said that "it excelled every other [museum] in the West." Maxwell's displays were so celebrated that she was invited to show her work at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. Her display was one of the most popular at the internationally- attended event. So many of the Centennial visitors wanted a keepsake of the display that the fair's official photographic firm, the Centennial Photographic Company, was unable to keep up with the demand for images. Among her many accomplishments, she is credited with being the first woman field naturalist to obtain and prepare her own specimens. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1985. One of the photographs is a 2" x 4" picture titled "In the Field." On the back side are the words "Mrs. M. A. Maxwell, Boulder, Colorado." The other is a 7" x 4 1/4" stereographic view with the caption "Mrs. M. A. Maxwell, in the Field. Copyright secured, 1876." In both pictures she is holding an Evan repeating rifle, which is a lever-action repeating rifle designed by Warren R. Evans as a high-capacity repeater. Both views are in very good condition.

Inventory Number: 52629