Charles Kirk
(1872-1922)
Charles Kirk was born and educated in Edinburgh and left home to take
up an apprenticeship with Rowland Ward in London. In 1894 he left Roland
Ward’s to set
up his own business in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, which employed around
8 people.
Not surprisingly, Rowland Ward’s influence is strongly evident
in all of Kirk’s work.
Kirk’s business became one of the largest and best known of its
kind in Scotland. In addition to being a skilled taxidermist, Kirk had
a fine reputation as a field naturalist
and photographer. His photographs of birds were reproduced in numerous
publications.
He suddenly died in 1922 at the age of 50, having
only just moved into larger premises at 56-58 Great Western Road. His
partner David Wotherspoon kept the business going until about 1928 at
which time he went to work at the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh.
The BHTS would like to thank Richard Sutcliffe
of Glasgow Museum
for the information and images of Charles Kirk and his work.
Examples
of labels used by Charles Kirk
CHARLES
KIRK
(courtesy of Glasgow Museum)
.jpg)
"Sir
Roger" Glasgow Museum
by Charles Kirk
(courtesy of Glasgow Museum)
Cormorant
by Charles Kirk
(courtesy of Glasgow Museum)
A family of Gannets
by Charles Kirk
(courtesy of Glasgow Museum)
Black Grouse
A superb and unusual Charles Kirk case of Blackbirds
Budgerigar
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