Despite living here for over ten years, Patrick and I had yet to be to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. But we finally went, because an exhibit I wanted to see that closes later this month, an entire exhibit dedicated to cats! But of course we had to explore the other areas of the museum as well.

Fierce! The Story of Cats displayed a variety of wild cats from around the world, and even included a cut out of a cartoon house cat to provide a nice size reference, and discussed what elements house cats still have in common with their larger, wild siblings. Near the end was the above piece of art by Tongva artist Weshoyot Alvitre, along with paw impressions of P-22, the famous mountain lion who crossed multiple freeways to make a home inside Griffith Park. Sadly, P-22 passed away in 2022, but he made history and became an advocate for conservation. Thankfully the museum has an area dedicated to him, featuring the camera used to capture photographs of him as he prowled Griffith Park.

The museum also features an area dedicated to the history of Los Angeles, with a wide variety of artifacts. I especially loved the model of Los Angeles, which was a WPA project, Walt Disney’s animation stand, and the souvenir bottle of water from when LA’s aqueduct opened.

Perhaps the NHM’s most famous area are its diorama halls, which opened 100 years ago. In 1911 the director at the time had traveled to Laysan, a Hawaiian island, only to tragically learn that poachers had killed around 300,000 birds for women’s hats. He returned with a drive to preserve animals by displaying them within dynamic dioramas. Today one of the halls, which had been closed for decades, is dedicated to the history of dioramas. The dioramas are interesting in that they blend the work of many different artists, from the taxidermists, to the mural painters, to the foreground artists. The exhibit balances the effort for preservation and awareness while also acknowledging that this process benefited from colonization. While older animals hail from those old expeditions, today the museum acquires new animals from zoos, once the animal has passed on.

Of course being in LA, it’s no surprise that these diorama halls have been featured in music videos, film, and television, including AMC’s Mad Men, over the decades. So if they look familiar, that’s probably why!

Sadly Fierce! The Story of Cats ends on February 18, but you can visit the rest of the Natural History Museum, including the spectacular dioramas, at 900 Exposition Boulevard in Los Angeles. For more information, including exhibits, please visit their website.