Oena capensis (Namaqua dove) Possibly 1777 - 1786

This is a watercolor and graphite drawing of an Oena capensis, or Namaqua dove, by Robert Jacob Gordon. Gordon, who was of Dutch and Scottish descent, served the Dutch East India Company, and his work gives us a glimpse into the complex colonial history of South Africa. As a military commander and naturalist, Gordon documented the landscape, flora, and fauna, as well as the indigenous people he encountered. This image, with its delicate rendering of the dove's soft plumage, exists as both a scientific record and a testament to the aesthetic sensibilities of its time. The dove, perched gracefully on a branch, becomes a symbol of the natural world that Gordon sought to understand and categorize. However, we can't ignore the shadow of colonialism. Gordon's explorations were part of a larger project of claiming and exploiting resources, and his representations of the land and its inhabitants were inevitably shaped by his own cultural biases and the power dynamics of the era. Consider, then, how this image reflects a moment of encounter, of both observation and appropriation.