Van Ingen and Van Ingen

1890

Van Ingen and Van Ingen were taxidermists in Mysore, India. They were founded in the 1890's by Eugene Van Ingen and were renowned for their tiger and leopard trophy mounts. Van Ingen and Van Ingen produced many head mounts, full mounts, flat animal rugs and full rug mounts with heads, it is said their factory processed more than 43,000 trophies in less than 90 years of business. They were one of the largest taxidermy businesses in the world employing in it's heyday over 100 workers, processing many types of animals', not just tigers and leopards, but bears, lions, rhinos and zebras etc. Van Ingen were known for there quality, fine workmanship and attention to detail, that is why they can boast Maharajas of India and international nobility amongst their cliental. Van Ingen constructed mannequins and moulds of all sizes so they could produce mounts of consistent quality for a variety of poses from head mounts to full life size mounts. One of their trademarks was the 'snarling' open mouth expression of the big cats, one that used special head moulds with specific built in grooves around the nose area.
In the late 60's the work began to decline and the company finally closed in 1999.

For more information there is a book, Van Ingen & Van Ingen, Artists in Taxidermy, Mysore (Morris, 2006).

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