Dinner Inside an Iguanodon: The Night Science and Religion Parted Ways

On New Year's Eve 1853, sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins hosted a lavish dinner inside the belly of a giant iguanodon model at his London studio, with the renowned anatomist Richard Owen as the guest of honor. The event celebrated the imminent opening of the Crystal Palace exhibition, which would feature Hawkins's prehistoric animal sculptures and attract tens of thousands of visitors. According to American writer Edward Dolnick in his book 'A Cena con il Dinosauro' (published by Aboca), this dinner marked the last moment when science and religion could still be seen as compatible. The iguanodon was one of the first three dinosaurs to be identified, and the evening symbolized a turning point in the relationship between scientific discovery and religious belief. The exhibition, which opened in the summer of 1854, was a groundbreaking success, drawing massive crowds and cementing the public's fascination with dinosaurs. Hawkins's sculptures, though based on incomplete fossil evidence, became iconic representations of prehistoric life. The event underscored the growing tension between empirical science and traditional religious narratives, a conflict that would intensify throughout the Victorian era.