Elizabeth and Alice Elizabeth Mortimer loved to wear hats festooned with flowers and taxidermy. It was very popular in her circles. At social gatherings, those with the means, would try and one-up each other with outrageous apparel for the head. Many of the hats had birds on them with the occasional appearance of a fox, stoat, or sable. One day, her friend Lucy Stottlemeyer showed up with a live monkey on her hat and gave her the idea of using live bats. She began acquiring them and spent a great deal of time training them as it was difficult for them to remain “still”. She managed to train one and named her Alice. Not only could Alice fly and perch on command, she also controlled the flies and other pests at the gatherings. @wbfinearts @pulseartfair #wbfinearts #bats #hat
