The Maho Tree. Phalaena fusca 1731 - 1743

Mark Catesby made "The Maho Tree. Phalaena fusca" sometime between 1710 and 1719, using watercolor and graphite on paper. This work belongs to a long tradition of scientific illustration, but Catesby was doing more than just recording botanical facts. He was actively shaping knowledge, and also the market for it. Consider the patient labor involved in creating this image. The graphite underdrawing, barely visible, shows how carefully Catesby planned out the composition. The watercolor is applied in delicate layers, building up the subtle gradations of color in the leaves and butterfly wings. It's a time-intensive process, mirroring the slow growth of the tree itself. Catesby was part of a network of explorers, scientists, and patrons who were all invested in documenting and exploiting the natural resources of the Americas. His prints, hand-colored and sold by subscription, were luxury items, bought by wealthy Europeans eager to possess a piece of the New World. This image is not just a pretty picture, but a document of colonial desire, made visible through the craft of watercolor painting.