Grammophora Trisignata from The Butterflies and Moths of America Part 4 1862

"Grammophora Trisignata" is part of "The Butterflies and Moths of America Part 4," created by Louis Prang & Co. Sometime between 1800 and 1950, this print reflects the burgeoning field of natural history and the cultural fascination with categorizing the natural world during the 19th century. Within this piece, the moth becomes a subject of study, rendered with an attention to detail intended to highlight its unique features. Yet it is hard to view this image without also considering the politics of display, and the long history of scientific illustration as a tool of colonial expansion. These delicate images often served to catalog the resources of newly "discovered" lands. This image invites us to consider how we assign value, and the cultural lens through which we view and interpret the natural world. How does scientific illustration contribute to our understanding—or perhaps, our misunderstanding—of the environment?