Last updated on November 2, 2014
The Paris Diplodocus in 1908, which hasn’t changed much since those days. The (second-floor) gallery with the cast is deserted, but look at the multitudes on the third floor. This leads me to suspect that it must be taken shortly after the mounting of the cast had been finished, perhaps even on the eve of the unveiling (June 15, 1908) by the French President, Edmond Fallières.
(From the Lost Spendor Tumblr.)
Hi Hydrarchos. I’m sorry but I cannot help you regarding the photography. Impossible to me to tell if it is from 1908 or a subsequent year. On the other hand, I can bring some help in connection with the number of floors in the building: the Diplodocus is on the first floor. The mezzanine, where all of these people are visible, is at second floor level. During the period when the photograph was taken (before 1937) the mezzanine still contained and displayed the Anthropology collections. The ground floor (beneath the Diplodocus) contained at this point in the past (and still contains nowadays) the Comparative Anatomy collections. Cheers!