COVE

Crafted in 1751 by Mr. Fenn in Hertfordshire, England, the object displayed is a collar, belonging to Peter the Wild Boy. The relatively small object is better used as a representative item rather than one that speaks for itself. Peter the Wild Boy was found naked and alone in a forest in Germany in 1725. He could not speak, he could only walk on his hands and feet, and greeted his amused ‘saviours’ with passive interest. The boy was taken in by King George the First and after multiple attempts of resocialization, was sent to live on a farm in Hertfordshire. After wandering off  one day and getting lost, the collar was crafted for him as a way to keep him bound to one place – an act referred to by many as being ‘generous’. Questions regarding Peter’s identity, displacement in his life, as well as the solitary moments that plagued him until death are explored as themes, using texts such as Frankenstein and Reveries of a Solitary Walker. The proposed questions touch upon what it meant to be solitary, how willing solitude can heal, while forced solitude can be harmful, and what it means for ones identity and life experience overall to endure such great magnitudes of displacement.

Keywords: solitude, displacement, identity, existence, Peter the Wild Boy, collar