In December 1853, an invitation for New Year’s Eve reached 20 men that was anything but typical.

Interestingly, it seemed that none of the participants wished to usher in the new year with their wives, and the event’s venue was intriguingly designated “in the mould of the Iguanodon at the Crystal Palace.”

This remarkable assembly, extended by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, featured notable figures such as Richard Owen (the creator of the term “dinosaur”), naturalist Edward Forbes, ornithologist and illustrator John Gould, and geologist Joseph Prestwich, a pioneer in modern scientific archaeology.

Hawkins aimed to unveil his dinosaur sculptures to the public and draw visitors to the newly relocated Crystal Palace and its surrounding park. In addition, several journalists were also invited, along with local dignitaries and stakeholders in the exhibition.

Hawkins, a talented natural history artist, envisioned a bold experiment: to animate the “dry bones or oddly shaped stones” located in the British Museum and engage the public with the burgeoning field of palaeontology.

By recreating these extinct animals, he aspired to make the “appearance and names of the ancient inhabitants of our globe” just as recognizable to the public as familiar contemporary creatures.

Hawkins was adept at publicity, and one of his guests was Herbert Ingram, publisher of the Illustrated London News—a publication boasting a readership exceeding 150,000—that would provide a comprehensive coverage of the event, complete with illustrations.

Despite the evening’s snowy chill, the twenty distinguished guests donned their finest attire and made their way to a large warehouse where Hawkins had showcased an array of his creations, including the central dining area.

The iguanodon was the most massive of the models; to reach their dining table, the men had to ascend a flight of steps to a platform.

A large tent sheltered them from the biting wind, and a chandelier hung thoughtfully over their meal.

Banners proudly displayed the names of eminent palaeontologists who had made significant contributions to the study of dinosaurs: Georges Cuvier, Gideon Mantell, William Conybeare, and William Buckland.

These names may have served not only as conversation starters but also as topics for gossip—Mantell had tragically passed the previous winter from an opium overdose, prompting speculation about its nature, while Buckland, though wealthy enough to be deemed eccentric rather than mad, appeared to be succumbing to what is believed to have been senile dementia.

Richard Owen found himself seated inside the iguanodon’s head; at the opposite end, according to Hawkins’s later recollection, there was sufficient space where “a musician’s delightful singing greatly enhanced the evening’s enjoyment.”

As midnight approached, Owen led the toasts; as the celebrations drew to a close, Forbes stood up and recited an elaborate poem.

According to Routledge’s Guide to the Crystal Palace and Park at Sydenham, as Forbes continued, the men became “so vigorous and impassioned that it almost seemed as if a herd of iguanodons were bellowing.”

Upon completing his lengthy poem, Forbes proclaimed the event to be “a fitting culmination for a geologist’s year.”

Accompanying the invitations was a detailed bill of fare, and the guests relished a feast of seven courses, served by a team of liveried attendants.

Soups: Mock Turtle; Julien; Hare

Fish: Cod with Oyster Sauce; Whiting Fillets; Turbot a l’Hollandaise

Removes: Roast Turkey; Ham; Raised Pigeon Pie; Boiled Chicken with Celery Sauce

Entrées: Cotelettes de Mouton aux Tomates (lamb); Currie de Lapereaux au riz (rabbit); Salmi de Perdrix (partridge); Mayonnaise de filets de Sole

Game: Pheasants; Woodcocks; Snipes

Sweets: Macedoine (mixed fruit) Jelly; Orange Jelly; Bavaroise (set custard cream); Charlotte Russe (cake with ladyfingers); French Pastry; Nougat a la Chantilly; Buisson de Meringue

Dessert: Grapes; Apples; Pears; Almonds and Raisins; French Plums; Pineapples; Filberts (hazelnuts); Walnuts

Wines: Sherry; Madeira; Port; Moselle; Claret

The London Illustrated News reported on the “iguanodon, with his socially-receptive belly, so conveniently filled,” describing the dinner as “lavishly and elegantly served,” while portraying the models as “valuable lessons to the world at large in a domain of science previously deemed too vast and intricate for art to illuminate its remarkable truths.”

The report concluded: “Following several apt toasts, this delightful assembly of philosophers returned to London by train, evidently quite satisfied with the modern hospitality of the iguanodon, whose ancient structure had likely never been subjected to such philosophical merriment.”

On the subject of “philosophical merriment,” Punch’s humorous take on the evening summed it up with this remark: “We commend the attendees on the age they inhabit; for had it been a far earlier geological era, they might have found themselves inside the iguanodon without any dinner to enjoy.”

Hawkins’s clever publicity strategy succeeded.

The Times, Punch, and Ingram’s London Illustrated News all ran stories about the dinner, which also received mentions in various other publications, including Charles Dickens’s The Daily News.

Just six months later, over 40,000 visitors flocked to the Crystal Palace to see Hawkins’s creations.

The dinosaurs enjoy Grade I status, and funding has been designated for their restoration, though no exclusive dinners for men are planned for the upcoming new year.

It seems that the philosophical merriment will have to be postponed.