Plate 168 Fork-tailed Flycatcher 

Editor: Here we have John James Audubon's "Plate 168 Fork-tailed Flycatcher," rendered in watercolor. I'm immediately struck by the meticulous detail in the bird's plumage and the surrounding blossoms. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The first thing that jumps out is the commodification of nature, a common thread throughout Audubon's work. These paintings served not only as scientific records, but also as luxury goods. The paper itself, the pigments—all are testaments to specific economies and colonial networks of resource extraction. What kind of labor do you think went into this piece? Editor: Well, there's the obvious labor of Audubon himself, painstakingly painting each detail. But, I suppose the paper and pigments had to be manufactured and transported, perhaps by enslaved labor? Curator: Precisely! The seemingly innocent depiction of a bird conceals a vast and often brutal system of production. Consider the social context: Audubon was selling these prints to wealthy patrons during a period of intense industrialization and exploitation. He capitalizes on nature to provide it for a bourgeois customer base. What relationship does that create between the patron and the animal subject, you think? Editor: I see your point! The buyers probably felt a sense of control, of possessing nature through art. Like a trophy on the wall. Curator: Exactly. Furthermore, think about the very act of "capturing" the bird in an image. The relationship between observation, representation, and control are central here. Consider also the plant, perhaps non-native and cultivated by plantation slave labor. What, if anything, does that suggest? Editor: The plant emphasizes even further the manipulation of the landscape by the emerging global economy. So much context within this single image! Curator: It does give one a new perspective on what initially seems like a lovely picture of a bird and a tree.