On the Plains, and Among the Peaks: or, How Mrs. Maxwell Made Her Natural History Collection by Mary Dartt

Abstract

Reviewed by: On the Plains, and Among the Peaks: or, How Mrs. Maxwell Made Her Natural History Collection by Mary Dartt Carrie Gray-Wood On the Plains, and Among the Peaks: or, How Mrs. Maxwell Made Her Natural History Collection. By Mary Dartt. Edited by Julie McCown. Louisville: University Press of Colorado. ix + 233 pp. Figures, appendixes, index. $27.95 paper. Long overlooked despite her contributions to natural history and taxidermy, Martha Maxwell's biography has languished for over 100 years. Julie McCown's faithful revision of the original provides an exciting new source on the history of naturalist studies and explorations of Victorian gender norms in Colorado and the Great Plains. Dartt's biography remains one of the few resources on Ms. Maxwell. Exploring the Colorado plains and mountains from 1857 to 1877, she was particularly interested in the region's fauna. She pioneered behavioral observation, measurements, and drawings to ensure realism in the preserved animal. Her lifelike poses in native habitats were cutting-edge ideas. She developed new tanning mixtures for more effective hide preservation. She had a reputation as one of the most skilled taxidermists of her era. Sadly, her voluminous specimen collection has not survived. While growing her reputation as a scientist, Martha Maxwell enlisted her sister to craft a socially appropriate image. Dartt's biography of Maxwell risked censure for describing her grisly tasks and the dangers of her expeditions. It dared suggest a woman was as capable as a man, provided she conducted herself as a scientist without discarding all gender norms. Dartt emphasizes situations underscoring feminine attributes. There are a startling number of encounters with animals caring for [End Page 64] babies. While the mother is quickly dispatched, Maxwell expresses strong emotions for the young despite eventually eliminating and preserving all in a familial grouping. Thus, Maxwell demonstrates the gentle emotions of a proper Victorian woman who models the role of the warm, nurturing mother. Additionally, McCown observes reporters who described Maxwell's socially appropriate attributes: ladylike refinement, small stature, blue eyes, and gentle behavior. She was not the brutish, loud, crude, and uncultured "Amazonian" whom reporters assumed they would encounter. A gun-toting pioneer woman (at odds with the feminine ideal) is excused in the primal world of the frontier West. These expectations and ideals, as well as the sisters' clear attempts to skirt and subvert Victorian gender norms, provide rich data on Victorian social constructs and regional variation. Unfortunately, one area McCown fails to address is the impact Maxwell had on crafting America's sense of place in the American West. Lifelike mounts, engaged in accurate behaviors embedded in realistic environments, gave viewers a visceral view of the Plains unlike anything previously seen. This was reinforced by the book's accounts of exotic tales of danger, wilderness, hunting, and wildlife. Maxwell provided tangible vignettes of the American prairie viewers could reach out and touch, surely a galvanizing experience for eastern Americans. McCown unearthed exciting material for environmental historians and social scientists of the Great Plains. While she fails to address the impact Maxwell and Dartt had on constructing place in the American West, the invaluable biography she has assisted in bringing back into circulation is now widely available. [End Page 65] Carrie Gray-Wood Department of Geography Black Hills State University Copyright © 2023 Center for Great Plains Studies