Overview

This work chronicles a singular event that reshaped the public perception of science and paleontology: the 1853 dinner held inside a life-sized Iguanodon model at the relocated Crystal Palace in Victorian London. The occasion, orchestrated by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, transformed fossil fragments and scholarly observation into a vivid, tangible experience. By merging meticulous reconstruction, social ritual, and public performance, the event established a precedent for visualizing extinct life and cultivating trust in emerging scientific disciplines. Readers are guided through the convergence of art, science, and society as Hawkins's sculptures translated abstract knowledge into forms that could be directly observed and evaluated. The book examines the collaborative role of naturalists, geologists, illustrators, and journalists, demonstrating how interdisciplinary engagement reinforced authority and shaped public understanding. The Crystal Palace models and the extraordinary dinner embody an early recognition that scientific credibility is constructed not only through analysis but through visibility, materiality, and experiential confirmation. This study situates the Iguanodon dinner within its historical, cultural, and scientific contexts, revealing how performance and presentation enhanced the dissemination of complex ideas. Attention to the event's meticulous planning, media coverage, and scholarly participation underscores the mechanisms through which authority and trust were enacted and reinforced. The narrative illustrates that public science relies upon both evidence and the skillful translation of knowledge into compelling, verifiable form. Essential for historians of science, museum professionals, and readers fascinated by Victorian innovation, the book illuminates a pivotal moment in which paleontology transitioned from private scholarship to public spectacle. It demonstrates how the integration of visualization, ritual, and communication continues to inform the ways science engages with society, leaving a lasting legacy on the interpretation of the ancient past.

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