February 2010

ANIMATED NATURE

An Exhibition of 18th Century Prints

Natural History, considered in its utmost extent, comprehends two objects. First, that of discovering, ascertaining, and naming all the various productions of nature. Secondly, that of describing the properties, manners, and relations, which they bear to us, and to each other. The first, which is the most difficult part of science, is systematical, dry, mechanical, and incomplete. The second is more amusing, exhibits new pictures to the imagination, and improves our relish for existence, by widening the prospect of nature around us.

Thus states Oliver Goldsmith in the preface to his History of the Earth and Animated Nature. First published in 1774, the work strove to summarize all that was known about our planet & to describe, from a biological perspective, its animals, plants & human inhabitants. Technically flawed, it nonetheless went through several editions in the Victorian era & was a primary source for what most people knew about the natural world. Additionally, the engravings that illustrated these volumes served as one of the few visual references for animals & insects that were, in some cases, far removed from the English-speaking world.

ampersand vintage

Our February show features original antique engravings from the first American edition of Animated Nature, which was printed for Mathew Carey of Philadelphia in 1795. Going back to Goldsmith's preface, the animals & insects that populate these prints might indeed strike us as amusing. They are skewed approximations of creatures that were likely drawn from written accounts rather than first-hand encounters. For people of the 18th century, these images were indeed new pictures to the imagination. Strangely, one might argue that the engravings are new to our imagination as well, we the people of the 21st Century who claim to know so much about the Universe. In a world so saturated by photographs & abuzz with the proclamations of the internet, it's all too easy to claim to know something simply because one saw it on a blog. Removing us momentarily from the digital age, these antique prints invite us to imagine a world in which natural history really was a new phenomena. In the very least, we hope that a tactile encounter with the creatures of these prints will, as Goldsmith puts it, improve your relish for existence.

Drawing upon a recently acquired private collection, the installation features a selection of 21 prints, each archivally framed, as shown above. Altogether, there are over 40 prints available. $125 as framed.

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Double click images below for enlarged view.