- Courtesy Urban Light Studios photographers
- Lamar is what the folks at Urban Light Studios in Greenwood call the lion they inherited from the last tenants of their building. He's from the Teddy Roosevelt era. They don't know much more about him than that.
The Internet is a taxidermic wonderland. For instance, from the World of Wearable Art contest: hedgehog bra. This bullfrog playing the accordion is a bargain at $27.50 on Etsy. Also on Etsy: Lumpy "Ghastly Conjoined Cats In Kitsch Faux Kitten Taxidermy," $165.
In Seattle, in addition to Bobo the gorilla (related story: "Bobo and the Janky Ocelot"), we have Lamar the lion on public display. He's at Urban Light Studios in Greenwood. (If you haven't been there, it's a series of stage sets that you really should see; the best time is during Phinneywood art walk from 6 to 10 pm the second Friday of every month.)
Lamar, like Bobo at MOHAI, is a major attraction. His thin, light-colored fur leaves the scars from his taxidermy stitches very visible down his belly, across his chest, and the length of his arms.
- Courtesy of Urban Light Studios photographers
- Lamar presides over the tiki room.
Autumn Adams of Urban Light Studios says of Lamar:
I pet him all the time. I always say hi to him, and I give him a little pet, and I like to think of him still kind of resonating in the space. He’s seen a lot. He’s seen more than we have. He’s got quite a history with this place, and he’s a part of it as much as we are. Every now and then, kids get freaked out by him, but for the most part they just stare with wonderment. Everybody seems to love him. As for other taxidermy, well, we have a really big salmon in our log cabin room. ...A trophy. It’s right above the big mirror where brides get ready.
Other prominent taxidermic citizens of Seattle?
