JOURNAL ARTICLE

When Is a Mastodon Not?

  • Published In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 2024, v. 113, n. 4. P. 61 1 of 3

  • Database: Humanities Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Spamer, Earle 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on the misidentification of illustrations attributed to the extinct American mastodon, created by the Peale family, particularly Rembrandt Peale. It discusses how drawings previously cataloged as depicting a mastodon were actually based on an earlier publication of an elephant skeleton by Claude Perrault. The author highlights the importance of accurate identification in natural history and notes the potential connection between Rembrandt Peale and the marked-up copy of Perrault's work found in the American Philosophical Society's library. This case illustrates the complexities of historical scientific documentation and the contributions of the Peale family to natural history. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 2024/12, Vol. 113, Issue 4, p61
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:00659746
  • DOI:10.1353/tap.2024.a950125
  • Accession Number:185820072
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Transactions of the American Philosophical Society is the property of University of Pennsylvania Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.