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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.4.8Acquisition 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