Lowman family collection on Bobo the gorilla

Lowman family collection on Bobo the gorilla, circa 1951-1992

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Lowman family
Title: Lowman family collection on Bobo the gorilla
Dates: circa 1951-1992 (inclusive)
19491992

1952-1968 (bulk)
19521968
Quantity: .21 cubic feet, (1 box, including 47 photographs)
Collection Number: 2001.23 (accession)
Summary: Photographs, newspaper clippings, and other materials related to Bobo the gorilla, who was briefly raised by the Lowman family of Anacortes before being sold to the Woodland Park Zoo in 1953, where he remained until his death in 1968
Repository: Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library

P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org
Access Restrictions: The collection is open to the public by appointment.
Languages: English.

Historical BackgroundReturn to Top

Bobo the gorilla (1951-1968) was captured in then-French Equatorial Africa in 1951 and taken to the United States by William Said. In December of 1951, Bill Lowman purchased Bobo for $4,000 from Said in Columbus, Ohio and drove back to his home in Anacortes, Washington. Bobo was raised by the Lowman family until December 1953, when the time, money, and resources needed to raise Bobo were no longer feasible. The Lowmans sold him to the Woodland Park Zoo, for $5,500. The zoo built a great ape building in which to house Bobo, who quickly became the zoo’s top attraction. In the first year of Bobo’s residence, zoo attendance doubled. While the zoo brought in a female gorilla, Fifi, to be Bobo’s mate, he never showed any interest in her, and never produced any offspring. On February 22, 1968, Bobo was found dead in his cage of what was later found to be blood clots in his lungs as well as a hemorrhage. His death made the headlines of the Seattle newspapers the next day. Bobo’s body was later taxidermically preserved and put on display in the Museum of History & Industry.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of photographs, newspaper articles and clippings, letters, postcards and cards (approximately 49 photographs, 35 clippings, and 19 pieces of correspondence, including 6 cards from an elementary school class), as well as Bobo’s medical records, and lists of property damage and expenses from his time with the Lowmans. Materials deal with Bobo’s life: the photographs primarily with his life before being sold to Woodland Park Zoo (including photographs with members of the Lowman family); the newspaper articles primarily about his life and death at Woodland Park Zoo; and the correspondence mostly with the Lowmans' treatment of Bobo. There are two photographs of Gertrude Davis Lintz, who also had purchased an infant gorilla in the same period.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format here or by clicking on the camera icons in the inventory.

Restrictions on Use

The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Lowman family collection on Bobo the gorilla, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Location of Collection

14a.4.8

Acquisition Information

Gift of the estate of Will P. Lowman, via Susan Pedersen (Lowman's daughter), February 9, 2001.

Processing Note

Processed by Jessica Werner, 2009.

Related Materials

MOHAI also has a number of artifacts related to Bobo the gorilla which were received with other donations. These artifacts are cataloged and stored separately by MOHAI's Collections Department.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Photographs, Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Folder
1	1-17: Image of Bobo at the Lowman family home, ca. 1952 Image of Bobo at the Lowman family home, ca. 1952 17 photographs Numbers 4-7, 13 and 16: Gene Weber for Fred Carter, Photographer, Seattle (photographer)	circa 1951-1953
2	18: Bill Said feeding Bobo a bottle Handwritten on verso: Taken from magazine pub. March. '52. Mr. Bill Said and Bobo at air port in Holland (we think) on their way to the U.S.--'51.	1951
3	19-21: Bobo with Raymond Lowman 3 photographs	circa 1952
4	22-24: Bobo with Bill Lowman 3 photographs	circa 1952
5	25-26: Bobo with Mrs. R.B. Lowman 2 photographs	circa 1954
6	27: Bobo with Bill Corcoran	circa 1954
6	28: Bobo with Ray Lowman, Bill Corcoran, and Bill Lowman Forde Photographers , Seattle (photographer)	circa 1954
6	29: Bobo with young boy Fred Carter , Seattle (photographer) Written on verso: Bobo with grandson of Mr. Benson	circa 1954
7	30-40: Bobo in gas station attendant costume at a Mobil Gas station 11 photographs Fred Carter , Seattle (photographer)	circa 1953
8	41-45: Bobo at Woodland Park Zoo 5 photographs Bob and Ira Spring , Seattle (photographer)	circa 1954
9	46-47: Gertrude Davis Lintz and her baby gorilla, Zulu 2 photographs	circa 1953

: Papers, Return to Top

Container(s): Box

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Folder
10	48-59: Letters to the Lowmans regarding Bobo	1953-1980
11	60-61: Letters from the Lowmans in response to inquiries about Bobo	circa 1953
12	62-67: Handmade thank-you cards from schoolchildren in response to Bill Lowman’s visit and slide show about Bobo 6 cards	undated
13	68: Woodland Park Zoo postcard of Bobo as an adult	undated
14	69-80: Newspaper clippings about Bobo's life	1953-1968
15	81-88: Newspaper clippings about Bobo's death	1968
16	89-103: Later newspaper clippings about or mentioning Bobo	1968-1992
17	104: Bobo’s medical records while living with the Lowmans	circa 1951-1954
18	105: Itemized expenses for Bobo while living with the Lowmans	circa 1951-1954
19	106: Itemized damages caused by Bobo while living at the Lowmans’ house	circa 1951-1954
20	106: Article reprint: Pulmonary Embolus and Testicular Atrophy in a Gorilla Scholarly article by researchers J.I. Antonius, Simone A. Ferrie and L.A. Dillingham analyzing Bobo's condition at the time of his death, including autopsy results. Includes a letter from John I. Antonius to Mrs. Lowman upon his sending her the reprint.	1971

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Gorillas--Washington (State)--Seattle
Zoos--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

Lowman, Bill--Photographs
Lowman, Raymond--Photographs

Corporate Names

Woodland Park Zoo

Geographical Names

United States--Washington (State)--Seattle

Form or Genre Terms

Photographs

Archives West Finding Aid

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