American Dinosaur Abroad: A Cultural History of Carnegie’s Plaster Diplodocus

by Ilja Nieuwland

In early July 1899, an excavation team of paleontologists sponsored by Andrew Carnegie discovered the fossil remains in Wyoming of what was then the longest and largest dinosaur on record. Named after its benefactor, the Diplodocus carnegii —or Dippy, as it’s known today—was shipped to Pittsburgh and later mounted and unveiled at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1907. Carnegie’s pursuit of dinosaurs in the American West and the ensuing dinomania of the late nineteenth century coincided with his broader political ambitions to establish a lasting world peace and avoid further international conflict. An ardent philanthropist and patriot, Carnegie gifted his first plaster cast of Dippy to the British Museum at the behest of King Edward VII in 1902, an impulsive diplomatic gesture that would result in the donation of at least seven reproductions to museums across Europe and Latin America over the next decade, in England, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Argentina, and Spain. In this largely untold history, Ilja Nieuwland explores the influence of Andrew Carnegie’s prized skeleton on European culture through the dissemination, reception, and agency of his plaster casts, revealing much about the social, political, cultural, and scientific context of the early twentieth century.
 

Genres: Dinosaurs, Nonfiction, Palaeontology, Science

360 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2019

Reviews

[Helen Turnock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I now want to visit all the versions of Dippy worldwide that would be so fun, he deserves his flowers.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Londoners, remember Dippy the Diplodocus? American Dinosaur Abroad is a very interesting history book that provides the backstory to this and other plaster casts, and how they were part of a philanthropic campaign by businessman Andrew Carnegie. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2019...

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book from work shelf covering the motivations and process of Andrew Carnegie donating eight plaster casts of the Diplodocus Carnegii excavated from Wyoming in 1899-1902 and placed at Carnegie's new Pittsburgh Museum of Natural History.

At the time it was the world's biggest animal and he seized this opportunity and was able to offer free copies to European heads of state, and one in Argentina. In return he hoped to build relationships with the heads and accomplish his pacifist wishes.

Deep research by the author documents the different country's cultures, scientific achievements and how they were viewing the gift, based on how big the handover ceremony was.