Point Isabel, Florida 1887

Mary Nimmo Moran created this etching, "Point Isabel, Florida," in 1887. It’s an evocative depiction of the Florida landscape, capturing the wildness of the scene. Consider the context in which Moran was working: the late 19th century. Florida, though part of the United States, was still seen as a frontier, an exotic place full of natural wonders. Artists like Moran played a role in shaping perceptions of these landscapes. The etching shows the distinctiveness of the vegetation and the drama of the sky. Moran's choice of etching, a printmaking technique, allowed for multiple impressions, making the image more accessible to a wider audience. To understand this work more fully, we can research the cultural history of Florida in the late 19th century and look at the role of women artists. We can consider what institutions such as printmaking societies did to make a career as an artist more accessible. Art, after all, never exists in a vacuum.