Field Museum

The Field Museum has never been my favorite Chicago museum. The birds and animals are more exciting to see alive at the zoo. I have never found dinosaurs very exciting, especially when draped with all the propaganda about evolution. And the religious trappings of other cultures generally just sadden me.

But family was in town and the Field Museum was one of their objectives. I have never taken photographs during my visits. As you’ve probably figured out by now, that is, to my mind, much like never having been there. So we tagged along. The day was splendid — it was actually a bit chilly (wonderfully so) in the shade.

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The view north from the front steps.

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The entrance fee is now $18, which seems extreme. For an extra $7, we could get access to a special exhibit on the 1893 Columbian Exposition. I thought this might be worthwhile.

Not so much. One small room had a handful of displays about the fairgrounds and souvenirs.

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But the whole rest of the “special” exhibit consisted of items that had been on display at the fair. Like a lion that looked exactly like all the other lions on display in other parts of the museum. Or rocks that looked exactly like all the other rocks on display in other parts of the museum. The whole exhibit filled one room and took about 20 minutes to see thoroughly. Large spaces of the room were empty except for film clips shown on the blank walls. Whether these were actually shot at the fair or are reproductions, I can’t say.

 

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This is a meteorite that could be seen at the fair. It looks exactly like all the other meteorites on display in other parts of the museum.

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And that was it.

From the fair exhibit, we wandered down to see the mummies in the Egypt room. These were one of the highlights on my childhood visits.

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A mummy of a child removed from its wrappings.

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The part I liked best as a kid are the giant dioramas where mounted animals are displayed (although, again, animals are far more interesting in zoos).

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Here are the famous man-eating lions of Tsavo, made famous in the movie The Ghost and the Darkness. Col Patterson, of the British army, who eventually killed the lions, claimed they killed 135 workers, although experts think the total was probably closer to 35. Still, if you were one of those 35, it’s a significant number. Male lions in that region of Kenya are, in fact, lacking manes.

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We wandered around on our own through various exhibits. We found the gem stones the most enlightening, although I didn’t take any pictures there.

Here’s Bushman, the famous gorilla.

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And here’s a display on the lovely bug that killed the ash tree in my yard.

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After three hours of thrills we met up in the main lobby by the elephant butts. And now I have proof that I’ve been to the Field Museum and don’t ever have to go again.

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