Velvet Duck 

This hand-colored engraving of a velvet duck was produced in a time when ornithological illustration served the needs of both scientific documentation and aesthetic appreciation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, illustrated natural histories were luxury items, part of a broader cultural project of organizing and codifying the natural world, which reflects Western Europe and North America's increasing colonial reach and scientific ambition. This print, with its careful attention to detail, would have circulated among a cultured elite, who consumed images of nature as part of a larger project of social distinction. How did this image contribute to period systems of knowledge? To understand its place in a longer history of scientific illustration, you might consult the archives of scientific societies, libraries with extensive collections of natural history prints, or even digitized auction catalogs that chart the circulation of these images as commodities. By examining such resources, we can better appreciate the complex interplay of art, science, and society.