1854 Crystal Palace Dinosaurs by Baxter 2

1854. Sydenham Crystal Palace with Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins' dinosaur sculptures in the foreground. 11cm x 16.3 cm. Miniature colour print by the George Baxter patent process of mutiple ink blocks. This version of the print is softened and colour corrected for age-toning to provide the best image. Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins' sculptures were the first models of dinosaurs ever produced, and all the more striking for being life size. Left to right they are in the water left Teleosaurus, first on land Megalosaurus, Hyaeolosaurus, Labyrinthdont (?), Iguanodon, and unidentified far right. They caused a sensation in Victorian England and ushered in the dinosaurs' enduring popularity with the general public. The models still survive in Sydenham Park, though the Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire. Original print in the collection of Paul D. Stewart.