Walter Potter's Curious Victorian Taxidermy

Turning taxidermied animals into a compelling curiosity was Walter Potter’s specialty, and his wondrous animal creations allowed the once lively animals to play on for the rest of their afterlives.

Walter Potter became interested in taxidermy at an early age, and by the time of his death in 1890 he was a household name among taxidermy enthusiasts, and nowadays Walter's pieces can fetch as much as $35,000 apiece at auction.

Walter’s whimsical taxidermy dioramas feature animals doing everyday things like playing croquet, taking notes in class or joining their fellow rats in a game of dominos, and the figures are posed so perfectly you can almost see their little furry arms moving and their expressions changing as they play the day away.

-Via Beautiful/Decay