An Unnatural History

I have long been fascinated by the complex and conflicted relationship we humans have had with the non-human primates. Drawing from my personal collection of vintage photographs and postcards, these images of monkeys and apes in zoos, circuses, the entertainment industry and the military - as pets, performers, mascots, even “souvenirs” - make us question the distinctions between “animal” and “human”, “tame” and “wild”, “owner” and “property”.

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Chained Chimpanzee Smoking and Drinking, c. 1960

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Organ Grinder Monkey with Boy at the Beach, c. 1950

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Galletti’s Dogs and Monkeys Vaudeville Act, c. 1900

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Galletti’s Dogs and Monkeys Vaudeville Act, c. 1900

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Young Chimpanzee, c. 1915

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Ship's Monkey, U.S. Navy, c. 1940's

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Chimpanzee "Esau", one of the first performing apes in the United States c. 1901

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Navy Mascots of the H.M.S. Ardent, 1907

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Chimpanzees and an Orangutan Having Dinner at "Monkey Farm", Culver City, CA, c. 1930's

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Organ Grinder with Monkey, c. 1940's

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Chimpanzees Riding Tandem Bicycle, Hamburg Zoo, 1912

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Albert M. Vida, Ship's Radio Operator and Freelance Animal Collector for the New York Zoological Society, with Young Baboons, c. 1935

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"Harry" and "Jocko", Monkey and Dog Military Mascots, c. 1940's

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Caged Monkey Shaking Hands with Soldier, c. 1940's

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Dressed Chimpanzee Looking at Photograph, c. 1908

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Roller-skating Chimpanzees with American Flag, c. 1940's

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Nessler's Original Dressed Monkeys, Germany, c. 1905