An American bison before 1886

This black and white photograph by J. Fortuné Nott, taken before 1886, depicts an American Bison in a pen-like structure. The subject is captured in profile, standing alone, against a wooden background. The photograph's small size and intimate scale create a sense of immediacy, highlighting the bison's presence in a confined space. It is a testament to the vanishing species and the burgeoning field of wildlife photography in the 19th century.