Visit to the Fairbanks Museum Part 2: Old and new exhibits

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“Old deeds for old people, and new deeds for new.” Henry David Thoreau in Walden.

 

The Fairbanks Museum, founded in 1890, is a fascinating mixture of the old and the new.

Photo 1: Old style displays of owls, showing them perching on a tree in an artificial pose.

Photo 2: More modern displays show birds acting in a natural setting, such as these upland sandpipers.

 

The museum has a very unusual collection of old-fashioned pictures built using insect parts.

Photo 3: A portrait of George Washington made in 1909 from 7665 insects. 

Photo 4: The head of Washington is created using butterfly wings.

 

Photo 5: The lettering is done with shiny beetles. 

 

Along with these older exhibits are more modern ones, such as a display of insect nests. 

Photo 6: A cast of a Florida harvester ant nest.

 

The museum has recently completed a new extension to provide a more interactive space for visiting school groups.