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Leprechauns at the Museum!
(Modified 12/14/06)
When I first posted this, I called it "Elves at the Museum". On 12/12/06, the artist's wife wrote me a great email and straightened me out on several of my "facts". Most importantly, these guys are not elves, they are leprechauns. The differences are subtle so the mistake was understandable (Elves vs. Leprechauns) I have made many changes to the original article based on her email.
Here in Denver, we have the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It's a really good museum. And it has some secrets.
One of them is that there are leprechauns painted into the backgrounds of some of the dioramas.
Apparently, way back when some of the oldest dioramas were being put together, the artist who was painting the backgrounds, Kent Pendleton, painted in these leprechauns in lieu of a signature. There are various stories about how the museum felt about this at the time, but nowadays they seem to treat it as a cute joke that they don't try too hard to keep secret.
| If you go to the information desk when you first come in and ask for the flyer about the leprechauns, they'll give you a single sheet of paper that has been copied a million times. It describes how to find the leprechauns. Some of them are pretty easy to see. Some of them are almost impossible. But the descriptions on the sheet may make it too easy for some people to find these leprechauns. |
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If you're up for a challenge, maybe you can find them just by using these photos. If you need a little more help, click on the images of the leprechauns below and see a larger photo of the diorama that the leprechaun is in. It will give you some context.
Click on image for context and hints |
This leprechaun is the only three dimensional one. Instead of being painted into the background, he's an actual little figurine hiding under a bush. This is the only one that I thought was a leprechaun before Mr. Pendleton's wife wrote me. |
This guy is real close to the three dimensional one. He's the only leprechaun wearing brown, which makes him harder to find. |
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This leprechaun is fishing in a creek. |
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Click on image for context and hints |
The secret guide that you get from the information desks says that there is an leprechaun here. I have REALLY good eyesight and I can't see it. I used binoculars and I couldn't see it. I took a photo and this is all I can see. If that's an leprechaun, then it is BY FAR the hardest one to see. If you can't see it when you're at the museum, I'd just skip it and not bang your head against a wall. |
This guy is laying down, he's pretty easy to find and to see. That's a relief after that last one. |
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Click on image for context and hints |
This leprechaun is in a part of the museum that is much newer. The guide says that he was painted to continue the tradition, but it doesn't say who painted him. I originally guessed that Kent Pendleton didn't do this one, but his wife confirmed that he did paint this one. This leprechaun is the easiest to see. You could even touch him if you wanted, because it's not behind glass. |
Now come to Denver, go to the museum and find some leprechauns!
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