Opgezette giervalk 1871 - 1876

This albumen print of a taxidermied gyrfalcon was created by William Notman, a photographer known for his portraits of Canadian life. The gyrfalcon, a bird of prey native to the Arctic regions, is here transformed into a symbol of both natural history and colonial ambition. In the Victorian era, taxidermy was not merely a scientific practice, it was a way of possessing and ordering the natural world. This photograph captures a moment in which nature is subtly being transformed into a commodity. Consider the whiteness of the bird, which might evoke notions of purity and dominance associated with colonial power. This image quietly underscores how the act of photographing and preserving nature can mirror broader societal desires to control and classify the world. It leaves me wondering, how does this carefully arranged image reflect our own desires to tame the wild?