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Rembrandt Peale
Sketch of the Elephant (Mastodon)
ca. 1801
pencil on paper
Titian Ramsay Peale
The Gigantic Mastodon
1821
watercolor wash on paper
How do you put together a mastodon if you're not sure what it looks like? Understanding the similarities between the mastodon bones and those of an elephant, Rembrandt Peale drew this copy of an engraving of an elephant, published in 1734, to use as a guide. His brother Titian's ink wash painting, on view to the left, shows the completed skeleton as it was mounted in Peale's Museum. He left off the tusks, as it was not clear how they had fit into the behemoth's skull. The reader rail next to the mastodon skeleton explains this dilemma.
American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia |