Finding Carl Cotton

Before the summer of 2019, I’d never heard of Carl W. Cotton. Six months later, I’d met his family, and one of his childhood friends. I knew his work duties each month for 20 years (and when he took sick days). I’d talked incessantly to anyone who would listen about his life. And now I’ve written an exhibit about him. 

Carl Cotton (1918–1971) was a taxidermist, artist, and exhibition preparator who worked at the Field Museum from 1947 until his death in 1971. He is the Field Museum’s first African American taxidermist, maybe even Chicago’s first professional one. And we at the Museum knew almost nothing about him. 

Thanks to a group of supportive people in and outside of the Museum, I’ve been able to sketch a portrait of a humble, talented man who was passionate about nature and the art of taxidermy. Cotton spent almost 25 years creating beautiful exhibitions behind the scenes, never expecting to be the subject of one. As I kept digging, I found more and more of myself in Cotton’s story. Like me, he made exhibits on the fourth floor of the museum. Like me, he was a black person working at an institution with a complicated racial history. When visitors see this exhibit, I hope they see themselves in Cotton’s passion and determination to follow his dreams. Here’s a glimpse at how we uncovered this partially hidden figure. 

The moment of discovery

When Reda Brooks (Exhibitions) showed me a photo of Carl Cotton she’d found in the Field Museum’s 125th anniversary book, a million questions flashed through my mind. A black man? A taxidermist? 1950?? I wasn’t alone. For years, a small group of Cotton fans around the Museum—who each held a piece of the puzzle—had wondered the same thing. 

Finding the Cotton family

Carl Cotton enthusiast Mark Alvey (Science and Education) and I scoured the internet for family members. He scanned obituaries and sent letters. I ran Ancestry.com searches and sent hopeful DMs. One Saturday morning, I got an excited call from Carl’s grandson. When our social media team tweeted asking for more information about Carl, his granddaughter and widow also responded.

Sleuthing in the archives

With the help of Library and Archives staff, a few interns and I transcribed Zoology Department reports detailing Cotton’s monthly tasks, which included preparing skins and mounting birds for displays. Careful cross-checking between the reports, archival photographs, and the knowledge of collections managers helped us identify previously unknown Cotton specimens. This is my proudest bit of detective work.

Cotton’s early letters

Tucked away in Cotton’s personnel file were letters he’d sent to the Field. In 1940, he wrote to the director of the Museum in search of a taxidermy job. He was turned down, but didn’t give up. In 1947, he sent another, more detailed, passionate letter offering to volunteer. The next week he was hired, and a month later he was promoted to full-time. When Archivist Armand Esai sent me this letter, I teared up. After months of looking at impersonal reports, this was the first thing I’d seen written by Cotton himself. It showed a man driven by his passion, willing to take bold action, and undeterred by rejection.

Family day

On a cloudy day in September 2019, four generations of the Cotton family journeyed to the Field to spend a day celebrating Carl. We showed them everything we’d found so far; they shared loving memories and helped us fill in the gaps. Seeing their joy at reuniting with Carl—and each other—was one of the happiest days I’ve had at the Field.

Tori’s favorite finds

Here’s a collection of my favorite tidbits that we didn’t have enough space to talk about in the exhibition.

On exhibit

When I went looking for Carl Cotton, I found more than a few photos and handwritten reports. I met family members, archivists, and taxidermy enthusiasts around Chicagoland. I made new connections within my own workplace community. And I found my voice while trying to lift up someone else's.