W.M. Otto “Imperial Mammoth” La Brea Tar Pits Museum collection 1950

Who Was William “Wm.” Otto?

William “Bill” Otto was a sculptor and preparator, originally from Frankfurt, Germany, who made his mark in Southern California. After coming to the U.S., his mastery of anatomy and sculpture led him into paleontology prep work at Caltech — reconstructing skeletons and crafting museum displays earned him a reputation as a top-notch preparator. When he wasn’t mounting skeletons, he was sculpting small bronze figures inspired by his fossil work.

The La Brea Tar Pits Figurine Series

In the late 1950s to the 1960s, William Otto created a series of miniature bronze sculptures representing extinct Pleistocene mammals and birds found at the La Brea Tar Pits. These were sold as museum gifts at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County (later the Page Museum)

One notable item is the “Imperial Mammoth” — a detailed bronze sculpture of a mammoth, often listed as “Imperial Mammoth,” “Columbian Mammoth,” or “Mastodon,” depending on the listing.

The series included around 13–14 figures: American lion, dire wolf, short-faced bear, giant cave bear, western horse, teratorn (huge vulture), bison, peccary, camel, ground sloth, Columbian mammoth, mastodon, saber-tooth cat, and a bobcat added later