A kangaroo before 1886

This photograph of a kangaroo was taken by J. Fortuné Nott and is displayed within an album. As you look at this image of a kangaroo, consider the historical context in which this photograph was taken. In the 19th century, photography was often used as a tool for scientific documentation and colonial exploration. This image may have been part of an effort to catalog and classify the natural world, reflecting a Western gaze upon the Australian landscape and its native animals. The kangaroo, an iconic symbol of Australia, is here confined within the frame, raising questions about captivity, the exoticization of wildlife, and the power dynamics inherent in the act of documentation. What stories do we tell when we capture images of animals in this way? What does it mean to see this kangaroo, not in its natural habitat, but as a subject for study and display?