A full grown Lion eighteen years old, Ten feet from the snout to the tip of the Tail

Object Status:

Unlocated

Primary Source Reference:

Peale Museum Accessions Book, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, p. 37

Additional Source Text:

Poulson's American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 4 Jan 1809 adds: "This is the first lion possessed by the Museum -- it is preserved."

Notes:

Peale purchased the carcass from Thomas Arden, a New Yorker. Its mane had not fully grown out, but despite its condition Peale wrote that "the mounting of this Animal renders it a fit animal for Painters to paint after except the want of hair, as the form of the larger mussels are well defined." Selected Papers, 2, part 2: 1163n

The lion had been in America for about eight years. Aurora General Advertiser (Philadelphia), 25 Jan 1809

Prio to acquiring this specimen Peale described the species at length in his third natural history lecture (1801-1802).

Specimen Type:

Dead/preserved

Peale's Common Name:

Lion

Current Common Name:

Lion

Current Scientific Name

Panthera leo