Pheasant and Grouse 1863 - 1867

Adolphe Braun made this photograph, Pheasant and Grouse, in France sometime in the mid-19th century. The image depicts dead game birds hanging against a wooden wall, along with hunting equipment like a rifle, horn, and game bag. Such images were popular among the middle class who enjoyed hunting as a leisure activity. But this was also a period of rapid industrialization and social change. Braun’s photograph can be understood as an appeal to tradition in a world transformed by modernity. The emphasis on nature and rural life contrasts with the rise of urban centers and factory work. What is the public role of an image like this? To better understand it, we could look into 19th-century French hunting culture, the development of photography as a fine art, and the social history of leisure. Ultimately, this photograph asks us to consider the complex relationship between culture, class, and the changing landscape of 19th-century Europe.