Details

Name

Charles Kirk

Brief Biography

1872-1922, Scottish

Occupation

Taxidermist; Bird Photographer

Description

Charles Kirk was born on 24 Feb 1872 in Edinburgh, the fifth and youngest son of James Kirk, grocer and his wife Isabella Wilson. His early years were spent in Edinburgh before the family moved to Lambeth in London where Charles obtained an apprenticeship with the renowned taxidermy firm of Rowland Ward in about 1887. He spent almost seven years at Wards, learning all the skills he required to produce accurate representations of the wildlife that he was so passionate about before returning to Scotland, initially to Perth in about 1894 and then to Glasgow. Here he set up his own business, Charles Kirk & Co, at 156 Sauchiehall Street in 1896. Over the next twenty-five years Kirk supplied taxidermy to The Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh and the Glasgow, Paisley, Perth, Bute, Wick and Hunterian (University of Glasgow) Museums and the Bombay Natural History Society as well as to numerous private collectors. At the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901 he exhibited a diorama showing seabirds nesting on Ailsa Craig in a natural setting. Kirk’s hallmark was his attention to detail and placement of subjects in naturalistic settings. He was one of the few taxidermists in Scotland at that time capable of mounting big game trophy work in which he was said to rival the handiwork of his former employer, Rowland Ward. Amongst the large animals he mounted, “Sir Roger”, an Asian elephant, is still on show in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum. Apparently Kirk’s whole shop front had to be removed in order to get him out. A fire at his premises in 1920 resulted in the business relocating to 56-58 Great Western Road, Glasgow. Kirk died of bronchitis and emphysema on 18th April 1922. It is believed that Kirk entered into partnership with two of his assistants, Ludovic Colquhoun (who was killed in the 1st World War) and David Wotherspoon, who carried on the business for a few years after Kirk’s death until 1928. Glasgow Museums hold a large number of specimens prepared by Kirk: mounted British mammals and birds (including a series of ‘mini-dioramas’), mounted foreign mammals and birds (many of which came from the Scottish Zoo, based in Glasgow), trophy heads and cabinet skins of birds. As well as his excellent taxidermy skills, Kirk was an enthusiastic and excellent photographer, particularly of birds, many which were taken on Ailsa Craig. He used some of his images in his letter headings. Many of his photographs were published in a series of “Gowan’s” nature books. Glasgow Museums hold a collection of his glass plate negatives and stereo photographic images. Many of his photographs were recently published in ‘Kirk on the Craig’.