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Tanning and early stuffing techniques

Preserving animal skins has been practiced throughout human history. For example, embalmed animals have been found with Egyptian mummies.Although embalming incorporates lifelike poses, it is not considered taxidermy. In the Middle Ages, crude examples of taxidermy were displayed by astrologers and apothecaries. The earliest methods of preservation of birds for natural history cabinets were published in 1748 by René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur in France. Techniques for mounting were described in 1752 by M. B. Stollas. There were several pioneers of taxidermy in France, Germany, Denmark, and England. For a while, clay was used to shape some of the soft parts, but this made specimens heavy.

By the 18th century, a majority of towns had a tannery business. It was around the same time, with the work of Jean-Baptiste Bécœur in particular, that taxidermy became a more serious practice. Louis Dufresne, a taxidermist at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in France, rediscovered Bécœur's taxidermy process using arsenical soap and made it known through an article in the Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle (1803–1804). This technique enabled the museum to build an immense collection of taxidermy birds. In the 19th century, some hunters took their trophies to upholstery shops, where the upholsterers would sew up the animal skins and stuff them with rags and cotton. The term "stuffing" or a "stuffed animal" evolved from this crude form of taxidermy. Professional taxidermists prefer the term "mounting" to "stuffing". More sophisticated cotton-wrapped wire bodies supporting sewn-on cured skins soon followed.

Dufresne's methods spread to England in the early 19th century, where updated and non-toxic methods of preservation were developed by some of the leading naturalists of the day, including Rowland Ward and Montague Brown. Ward established one of the earliest taxidermy firms, Rowland Ward Ltd. of Piccadilly. However, the art of taxidermy remained relatively undeveloped, and the specimens remained stiff and unconvincing.