A Black Grouse by Rowland Ward in glass case

Rowland Ward (1848-1912) the most celebrated of all taxidermists, operated from premises in Piccadilly. Here, he catered to Dukes and Duchesses, the rich and famous, and sportsmen the world over. He was so successful, and his reputation so great, that following his own death in 1912, the company he founded stayed in business for another 60 years, despite the general decline in interest in taxidermy through the twentieth century. During this period, the firm employed hundreds of workers, and was always renowned for the high quality of the work produced and the top quality standards maintained by its employees. Ward himself made many innovations in terms of taxidermy, and always maintained that a good taxidermist was not simply a craftsman but an artist and that he or she should be regarded as nothing less.

Taxidermy