Cabinet of Curiosities

Admittedly, last week I promised a beaver pelt storage tutorial. I decided to deviate and work with a fisher pelt - there's a bit more dimension for us to explore.  Despite their demeanor, fishers really are lovely animals. Picture a rich, dark coat with a subtle shimmer, consisting of soft underfur layered beneath long, glossy guard hairs. Their pelts are hard not to pet. So, we try to balance the excessive handling with careful storage as to slow down the natural processes of deterioration.  Like their weasel relatives, fishers are long animals.  Their pelts don't easily sit in a standard rectangular box.  As I'm learning more about how to properly store our various natural materials in the collections, I'm realizing how much thought goes into preserving even a single animal. Museums like ours - and the team at the Manitoba Museum , whose work inspired this detour - treat the collections with respect that should be afforded to each living Being.  The keys to r...