Ernest Griset online exhibition - Artefact of the Month January 2013
ZSL has four original watercolour drawings by Ernest Griset which are important to the history of ZSL because he painted historical events at a time when photography was in its infancy, as well as being splendid illustrations in the their own right.
Griset was born in France in 1843. The family moved to England and settled in north London when Griset was young. It is not known if Griset received any formal art teaching but surviving artwork shows he had an exceptional talent for making naturalistic studies of individual animals that are full of life and marvelously observant. Luckily, he was present at some momentous events in the Zoo’s history and recorded them with his brush including the arrival of the first live penguin, the sad death of the baby hippopotamus Umzivooboo, and rescuing the hippopotamus Miss Bet from drowning. Below are the four Griset paintings held in the ZSL Library.
The leading elephant is Jenny, an adult female Indian elephant who arrived at the Zoological Gardens in 1851. She is followed by Peter, a young Indian elephant who arrived in 1863. Bringing up the rear is the first African elephant to come to Britain - Jumbo. Jumbo, a male elephant estimated to be about four years old in this picture, was received in exchange from the Paris Zoo. By c1881 Jumbo was one of the Zoo's favourite animals, giving rides to the public.
The nightwatchman , ca. 1870
This picture records an incident at the Zoological Society of London when an Egyptian cobra escaped from its cage and may have escaped from the Reptile House. The watchman was warned of this and was later observed on his rounds with his legs bound in hay bales as illustrated, obviously still a little apprehensive.
The seal keeper, 1875
The subject is François Le Comte, a former French sailor who was Keeper of Seals at the ZSL from 1866-1877. He was spotted by Frank Buckland doing a double act with a Patagonian sea lion in Cremorne Gardens. Buckland brought them to the Zoo, and Le Comte was taken on to the staff
Miss Bet. 1870. Watercolour, pen and ink and pencil on paper; c52 x 85 cm.
The incident happened on a bitterly cold day in December 1870 when the Indian rhinoceros fell through the ice into a deep pond. All the available keepers were summoned to pull her out. The Zoo’s Superintendent, A.D. Bartlett (wearing a top hat) is seen directing the dangerous operation. Miss Bet survived the ordeal unharmed and died in 1873 : she had lived in the Zoo since 1850.
