Meet Martha Maxwell at the Museum of Boulder

Join us for an interactive morning with Mrs. Martha Maxwell, a pioneering taxidermist from Boulder (1831-1881) as portrayed by BJ Schwendler.

Maxwell was the first woman to hunt, prepare and exhibit Colorado mammal and bird specimens. She even had a museum in Boulder to share her work with the public. Her installation at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, PA featured a complex diorama that included life like animals in their simulated native habitat. She created rocks, a cave, and a running stream and she even showed live prairie dogs!

Learn about the obstacles she overcame as a woman in an all-male profession, her grit in following her passion, and how her work has impacted the museum field and taxidermy for decades to come.