Carl Akeley left Milwaukee and went to the Field Museum in Chicago and then to the American Museum in NY. There is a very good biography about Carl Akeley written by Penelope Bodry-Sanders and I think (my copy is at work) that there would be excellent passages pertaining to dioramas found in her book. He also was a sculptor and inventor and tinkered with a "moving picture camera" to create one called the "Akeley Camera" that he used to capture the movements of the animals and the habitats. AMNH also had a video about the Akeley Halls, narrated by Cliff Robertson, called "Brightest Africa" c. 1987. Their Museum Store probably has it available for purchase. -Nina Cummings // The Field Museum // Photography Department // <[log in to unmask]> In article <[log in to unmask]> "Henry B. Crawford" <[log in to unmask]> writes: >Information on diorama building can be had from any of the taxidermy or >exhibit staff persons at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Carl Akley, who >trained at MPM, designed and built the first habitat diorama there in 1890. >(It's still on exhibit!) MPM has been an innovator in diorama production >ever since. The current exhibit and taxidermy staff carry on the tradition >as the leaders of environmental exhibit design. >HBC (former MPM employee)