How Do You Portray A Dinosaur?

We have portraits of people in our galleries. But what if you’re a natural science museum? How do you portray a dinosaur? 

We talk with Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, about the ways our portrayals of dinosaurs have evolved, from sluggish and lizard-like to warm-blooded, colorful and spry. Then Matthew Carrano, curator of dinosauria, explains how the museum put T. rex into a striking new pose. The idea, he says, was to convey how cool dinosaurs were, but also make them relatable and relevant.

We also tie in a couple portraits from the collection: an image of the first person to describe an American dinosaur, and a photograph of the first person to give them the Hollywood treatment.

See the portraits we discussed:

Joseph Leidy, by Frederick Gutekunst

Steven Spielberg, by Gregory Heisler

The Nation's T. rex, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

Also recommended:

Visions of Lost Worlds: The Paleoart of Jay Matternes, by Matthew T. Carrano and Kirk R. Johnson