The strange serenity of taxidermy
An inside look at the lives of three taxidermists inside Eldon, Missouri
A stuffed lynx sits in the Stacks family home.
(Alberto Barba Pardal)
Gunner Stacks sleeps near a lynx ready for skinning.
(Alberto Barba Pardal)
(Alberto Barba Pardal)Dawne and Eric Stacks, with their youngest son Casey, run Stacks Taxidermy in Eldon, Missouri, half an hour from the not-so-huge Jackson City. Alberto Barba Pardal discovered the 20-year-old business as part of a photojournalism workshop in Missouri. He was looking for a story on hunters or fishers, but the Stacks' peculiar craft added a whole other layer to the typical small-town hunting family."They started to practice with the animals they hunted, and the first orders were for their friends," Pardal said. "What was supposed to be just a hobby became a family business as the Stackses taught themselves the intricate work involved in taxidermy."Pardal went on to capture what goes into every deer mount, from Dawne and Casey's daily grind in the shop to Eric's delicate detail work on small animals.
A fox arrives in the workroom and is prepared for skinning.
(Alberto Barba Pardal)Although Eldon may be a self-described "small town," the family has no trouble getting business. Even with Casey learning the craft and joining the team last year, the S
Dawne Stacks.
(Alberto Barba Pardal)
Casey Stacks touches up a buck's eyes.
(Alberto Barba Pardal)Even while balancing the taxidermy with his full-time job as a state trooper, Eric has become an expert on capturing the details of fish and birds. He'll look closely at
Eric Stacks.
(Alberto Barba Pardal)
(Alberto Barba Pardal)
(Alberto Barba Pardal)
(Alberto Barba Pardal)
(Alberto Barba Pardal)*For more of Alberto Barba Pardal's work, visit his website.*
