The Cat Fish (Silurus catus) Possibly 1754

Mark Catesby made this print of a catfish sometime in the first half of the 18th century. It’s an etching, likely hand-colored. The catfish, or Silurus catus, is here presented as a specimen. Catesby was an English naturalist, and he traveled extensively in the American colonies. He’s best known for his “Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands,” which was published in installments between 1729 and 1747. Catesby's work is a product of the Enlightenment era, when naturalists and scientists were trying to classify and understand the natural world. It reflects the colonial project and the desire to document and exploit the resources of the New World. To fully appreciate Catesby's natural history, a look into the scientific literature of the period as well as colonial archives is important. The image itself and its context are a product of a specific moment in history.