Faded yet still fascinating

Chicago has many wonderful sights to enjoy, such as Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, Millennium Park – and dinosaurs! Like many others, I got hooked on dinosaurs when young and have spent countless hours over the years enjoying natural history museum collections in many cities.

So, during a return trip to the Windy City, how could I not spend a day at the Field Museum? And while there, not stop to admire its most famous attraction – SUE, the fossil skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex? It was actually a revisit as I spent time at the Field years ago when SUE was new to the museum.

Now the largest and most complete T. Rex specimen is the center of an immersive experience that recreates South Dakota of 67 million years ago, including a giant mural of SUE in action.

But SUE’s isn’t the only mural to enjoy in the museum’s Hall of Dinosaurs and its Evolving Planet gallery. High on the walls throughout the space are many murals that were created by Charles R. Knight. Back in 1926, Knight started to create 28 murals for the Field Museum’s fossil hall. The museum still has 23 of his creations on display.

My favorite is the faceoff between a T. Rex and a triceratops, and I know I’m not alone in that opinion. The painting may have faded with time, but it still highlights Knight’s imaginative interpretation of the Cretaceous period. Just how many people came to believe the two were mortal enemies from Knight’s depiction of that matchup of titans?

A sign describing the murals claims the Field houses the largest collection of Knight’s work, which were painted between 1926 and 1930. Knight lived from 1874 to 1953 and was known as a paleoartist.

You can see his work still in museums, zoos, libraries, colleges and of course in a variety of books. And all this from a man who was legally blind from astigmatism and damage to his eye from a childhood accident.

The science of paleontology has advanced significantly since Knight’s time. I wonder, though, how many people became fossil hunters because they were inspired by his art.

So if you are in the Field Museum’s Hall of Dinosaurs, take some time to admire the wonders of the great “popularizer of the prehistoric past.”