When I worked at the Field Museum in the mid to late 70s, the Hall of Man
was still intact, with several large dioramas depicting paleolithic life.
They may have dated from the 1930s, when a large number of federally
subsidized exhibit technicians worked at the Field. I recall one scene in
which hunters with dogs track down a wild animal in a cave. While I was
at the Field, the neanderthal exhibit was redone in accordance with more
recent scholarship that showed that neanderthal people stood upright
(previous evidence was based on the remains of a person who turned out to
have suffered from arthritis). These dioramas were quite impressive,
whatever their scientific accuracy, and I once saw a small boy fleeing in
terror from one diorama because he thought the man inside was going to
come after him.

I visited the Field Museum last year and seem to recall that the Hall of
Man had been closed. But I can't remember for sure. The new exhibits are
so wonderful (especially the African halls) that I didn't have much time
left for my quick cruise through the other 7 or 8 acres of exhibits....

Alice Carnes
Exhibit Planner/Writer
Formations INc.
Portland, Oregon