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George E. Atkinson (1869 or 1870-1913) was a taxidermist specializing in birds.
Atkinson was born and raised in Toronto, ON, where he began collecting birds, insects, and reptiles around 1884. When the University of Toronto’s natural history museum was gutted by fire in February 1890, Atkinson offered his assistance to Prof. Ramsay Wright, professor of Biology, in rebuilding the collections. Prof. Wright soon employed him to collect and prepare specimens, and assist in his research of the development of feathers. These specimens were a part of the collection that was used to form the Royal Ontario Museum.
In 1895, Atkinson moved to Manitoba, settling in Winnipeg, where he was appointed official Naturalist for the government of Manitoba. He later settled in Portage la Prairie, where he opened a taxidermy shop.
Atkinson managed a number of natural history exhibits at various exhibitions, including the World’s Fair in Paris, in 1900, where his mounted specimens were awarded the gold medal. He also managed an exhibit of live and mounted specimens for the Pan-American Exposition on Buffalo, NY, in 1901.
He was the first to publish observations from Simcoe County, Ontario, and among the earliest to publish observations from Hamilton, Thunder Bay, and Toronto, Ontario. He went on produce a number of publications on the birds of Manitoba.
Atkinson served as the Recording Secretary of the Ornithological Subsection of the Biological Section of the Canadian Institute, and was actively involved in the Biological Society of Ontario.
Atkinson drowned near Glenboro, Manitoba, in June 1913, while conducting a sailing outing for the Society of Elks junior members.
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2/17/2023 E. Thomas (Creation)
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Biographical information from: Cranmer-Byng, Jack, and Martin K. McNicholl. Ornithology in Ontario. Whitby, Ont.: Hawk Owl, 1994.
Noted naturalist meets tragic end. (1913, July 3). Globe, p. 6.
Herzberg, L. (1996). A pocketful of Galls: William Brodie and the Natural History Society of Toronto. Toronto: L. Herzberg.