Fabricating Wilderness
A spirited guide to the century-old diorama halls at Los Angeles' Natural History Museum, where habitats across the globe merge
Journey from the windswept glaciers of Greenland to the jungles of the Congo Basin with the scientists, adventurers, and artists determined to preserve endangered wildlife by re-creating the habitats of the world in the heart of Los Angeles. New research and surreal, never-before-seen historical images richly illustrate this behind-the-scenes exploration of some of the Museum’s most beloved exhibits.
Discover the origin of dioramas and the turbulent early history of L.A.’s habitat halls.
Learn how gifted artists painted captivating background murals and meticulously re-created every leaf and bird.
See how the dioramas have changed and grown over the last 100 years.
The habitats are far from still lifes. Artists continue to update and improve them, fabricating new scenes that inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural world.
Chapter “Backgrounds,” by Karen Maness
Book is available for purchase on the National History Museum website.
Edited by Matt Davis. Contributors: Kayce Bell, Ursula Heise, Karen Maness, Allison Shultz, Araceli Ramos, Jon Christensen, and Tim Bovard
National History Museum of Los Angeles County
Format: Hardcover
Page count: 144 pages
Measures: 9.6 x 0.7 x 10.4 inches
the art of the hollywood backdrop
The definitive behind-the-scenes history of one of Hollywood’s most closely guarded cinematic secrets finally revealed—painted backdrops and the scenic artists who brought them to the big screen.
In almost every feature film of Hollywood’s golden age, from Wizard of Oz to North by Northwest to Cleopatra to The Sound of Music, painted backings have convinced moviegoers that what they are seeing—whether the fantastic roads of Oz, the presidents of Mount Rushmore, or ancient Egyptian kingdoms—is absolutely real. These backings are at once intended to transport the audience and yet remain unseen for what they really are. The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop reveals the hidden world and creators of these masterpieces, long-guarded as a special effects secret by the major studios such as MGM, Warner Brothers, Universal, Columbia, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount.
Despite the continued use of hand-painted backings in today’s films, including the big-budget Interstellar and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events among many others, digital technology is beginning to supplant the art form. In an effort to preserve the irreplaceable knowledge of scenic masters, Karen Maness and Richard Isackes have compiled a definitive history of the craft, complete with interviews of the surviving artists. This is a rich undiscovered history—a history replete with competing art departments, dynastic scenic families, and origins stretching back to the films of Méliès, Edison, Sennett, Chaplin, and Fairbanks.
Karen L. Maness
Standing in front of a backdrop for "Gut Girls" Painted at The University of Texas at Austin, Texas Performing Arts.
