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| Title | Bobo the gorilla in gas station attendant costume at a Mobil gas station in Anacortes, Washington, ca. 1952 |
| Photographer | Weber, Gene |
| Date | ca. 1952 |
| Caption | Anacortes native Bill Lowman brought an infant lowland gorilla from then-French Equatorial Africa to his parents home in 1951. Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Lowman raised the gorilla, which they named Bobo, as part of the family. Two years later, when 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. Bobo died at the zoo on February 22, 1968. His body was later taxidermically preserved and put on display at the Museum of History & Industry.
This is one of a series pf photographs taken of Bobo at the Mobil station for a 1953 Mobil Dealer News article. |
| Notes | Stamped on verso: Fred Carter Photographers. SE 1530 912-A Pine St. – Seattle. Photo by Gene Weber. |
| Subjects | Automobile service stations—Washington (State)—Anacortes; Gasoline pumps—Washington (State)—Anacortes; Gorillas—Washington (State)—Anacortes |
| Places | United States—Washington (State)—Anacortes |
| Digital Collection | Museum of History & Industry Photograph Collection |
| Image Number | 2001.23.30 |
| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction or to inquire about permissions contact photos@mohai.org or phone us at 206-324-1126. Please refer to the Image Number and provide a brief description of the photograph. |
| Credit Line | Lowman Family Collection on Bobo the Gorilla, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle; All Rights Reserved |
| Repository | Museum of History & Industry, Seattle (MOHAI). |
| Repository Collection | Lowman Family Collection on Bobo the Gorilla |
| Type | Image |
| Physical Description | 1 photographic print: b&w; 7.5 x 9.5 in. |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from original photograph as 4350 pixel TIFF image in 16-bit grayscale, resized to 700 pixels in the longest dimension and compressed into JPEG format using Photoshop CS4. |
