James Perry Wilson,
Natural History Dioramas
Few would argue that the highest standard in natural history diorama design was set by James Perry Wilson and Ralph Morrill, whose work is housed at Yale’s Peabody Museum and, formerly, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Stand in front of one, and it feels like you’re looking into miles of landscape. But just beyond the animals and faux foreground is a vertical painting—meticulously rendered to reflect the atmosphere, geology, and plant life of the species’ native habitat. It’s art and science, seamlessly joined.
Wilson painted the backgrounds for all eleven of Peabody’s signature North American wildlife dioramas. Morrill shaped the three-dimensional foregrounds, working closely with Wilson to create the illusion where paint meets form.
In 2013, Story Preservation recorded Ruth Morrill, widow of Ralph Morrill and who contributed directly to the creation of the dioramas, at Yale, along with Peabody preparator Michael Anderson. Michael led the interview, though it’s Ruth we hear—Ruth, who was there, who worked alongside her husband and Wilson, and who knew this world from the inside out.
She shared her memories—and her knowledge—of an extraordinary collaboration and a quietly breathtaking art form. Today, Michael Anderson continues to care for that legacy, leading restorations that preserve the original techniques and vision.
