Giraffa Camelopardalis (Giraffe) 1779

"Giraffa Camelopardalis (Giraffe)" is a watercolor on paper created by Robert Jacob Gordon in 1779. The detailed drawing depicts a giraffe in profile, standing on a grassy patch of land. A small figure of an indigenous person stands at the base of the giraffe, emphasizing the sheer size and scale of the animal. This artwork is an example of 18th-century natural history illustration, where the focus was on accurate scientific representation, capturing the details of animal anatomy and its natural environment. Gordon's work was instrumental in documenting the African wildlife and sharing it with a broader audience.