Stereoview PHOTOGRAPH of a MURMAN MUMMY at HURST'S FREE MUSEUM Albany NY by E.S.M. Haines

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Stereoview photograph of a merman mummy at Hurst’s Free Museum in Albany, New York, photographed by Eugene S.M. Haines and published by Hurst & Son of Albany, circa 1870s. The view, identified with a descriptive imprint on the reverse, shows the mummified remains of a creature that looks to be half human and half fish—a merman. The text on the back reads: The oringial to be seen at Hurst &Son’s Free Museum and Stereoscopic Studio, 9 and 11 Elm Street, Albany, N.Y.; Foud on one of the Chincha Islands, off the south coast of Peru, buried in the guano at the depth of 40 feet; It measures from top of head to tail 4 feet 2 inches, circumference of chest 13 ½ inches; breadth of shoulders 8 inches; Photo by Haines. The creature has its arms raised slightly, and the pathetic expression on its face makes it clear it died a horrid death. Of course, this was a hoax. The preserved remains of all kinds of creatures were popular sideshow attractions through much of the 19^th century, and photography lent itself to the promotion of such fake mummies. Born in England in 1810, James A. Hurst was in the U.S. and working as a taxidermist as early as 1849. He became the New York State Taxidermist and removed to Albany. Hurst was a master in his art and created incredible displays featuring animal specimens he had preserved. His son, John Hubert Hurst, worked as a taxidermist too and joined his father in business. Hurst’s Free Museum opened around 1870. Eugene S.M. Haines helped Hurst to create a series of 72 tinted stereoview photographs of taxidermy exhibits that would be sold to visitors to the museum. This view likely was sold there too and no doubt brought many visitors in. It’s probable that Hurst took the upper body of a monkey and lower body of a large fish to create this mythical creature. His taxidermy skills would have suited the project perfectly. This is one of my favorite stereoview photographs. The stereoview is in good to very good condition with only light wear and soiling. Note the rubbing at the corners of the card. The photographs exhibit good to very good tonal range and shows very good detail. A wonderful early stereoview photograph!