The Stuffed Animals Of The East London Museum In South Africa

The East London Museum is a charming, small museum concentrating on the local natural history, tradition and culture of the Eastern Cape.

Amongst other sections it hosts an incredible variety of stuffed animals. A collection of 50 images, that I have taken three years ago are presented here.

Stuffed Rhinoceros In The East London Museum

The display of the stuffed mammals, insects, shells and fishes behind glass chambers has the flair of a by gone time. I might be wrong but it seems like that the displays have not been changed since their day of creation. And that is what makes a walk through this museum so nice.

Most of the time when you walk through the premises you are alone and nobody disturbs you. The light is dim.

The animals in their glass chambers in front of a carefully painted background look real although the taxidermy work is decades old. They look real and a little bit sad sometimes.

like this one

But let the pictures speak for themselves!

I have called this image "Long lasting sadness in my eyes"

Count Dracula

My favorite section - the mouse section starting with mouse No 111. 

My Heart Led Me South - Travels In East Africa From 1950 To 1960 Of Street Photographer Juergen Schlichting

My Heart Led Me South from Chocolat Negro on Vimeo.

This was created in dedication to Juergen Schlichting, a German street photographer and writer born in 1936. His extraordinary work covers the 1950s to 1980s. At the age of only 46 Juergen lost his 2 year long battle with lung cancer. The scientist and researcher entrusted his entire photographic work and his writings to his young niece who was like a daughter to him. At the time of his death she was a young girl. For the first time decades later his work is shown to the public.
His photographic work is comprised of tens of thousands of images on film and slides as well as 8mm film rolls. These images are valuable testimonials of a time gone by displayed with an incredible artistic quality and sensuality.
A deeply spiritual man with a strong connection to nature he documented all his travels demonstrating an eternal love of life and a genuine belief in the good of mankind.
He wrote 26 books of poems of which none has been published yet.

Once Upon A Time When There Were Gramophone Specialists Amongst Us

Now, once upon a time, a long time ago, there were Gramophone and Record Specialists living right amongst us. I am very, very sure that I have been one of them in one of my earlier lives. I am not sure, if I was operating from South Africa or from another country, if I was a girl or a boy, but records I did have a lot in that earlier life and a specialist I was as well. I can feel it because I have always loved music.

Here is the famous Ted Lewis And His Band, That Certain Party, Fox Trot, Recorded in the late 1920's (probably 1925) with incidental singing from Ted Lewis. 

From a record shop in Cradock, that very few people probably remember. When this record was made available to the public, people were enjoying the Golden Twenties in other places on the globe and were dancing to fox trot and quickstep tunes. You are listening to a sound that is 90 years old, was pressed on Shellac and has survived unharmed through nearly a century.

Green Right Through