Hippopotamus amphibius foetus (Hippopotamus) Possibly 1777

Curator: Here we have Robert Jacob Gordon's "Hippopotamus amphibius foetus," likely created around 1777. It's a delicate rendering in ink and colored pencil on paper. What strikes you immediately? Editor: There's a certain stillness. A solemn tenderness. It feels almost… reverent, if that's the right word for a baby hippo! The almost monochromatic palette definitely contributes, lending an antique feel. Curator: Indeed. Gordon, a Dutch military officer and explorer, was intensely interested in natural history. This drawing, a scientific illustration, shows the fetus connected by the umbilical cord. It shows the complex interaction between science and politics in the 18th century, when observation and cataloguing of nature became entangled with colonial ambitions. Editor: Even without that context, there’s a gentleness to the piece that I appreciate. The creature appears almost translucent, especially around its midsection, a fascinating detail! The landscape style gives him a freedom on the page. Curator: Absolutely. We need to understand Gordon’s larger project. His visual records were a key means through which colonial authority established itself and managed local knowledge in the Cape. Editor: So, these were almost documents? That adds another layer. I was just thinking how vulnerable this little one appears, yet it seems very assured. This drawing tells of science and ambition but at its heart, feels like something more intimate. Curator: Precisely. Gordon’s hippopotamus serves as a fascinating case study, where our reading of visual representations necessarily becomes entwined with larger historical forces. Editor: Makes you see the hippo, and history itself, with a bit more wonder. It has made me thoughtful! Curator: As intended. This image really epitomizes the relationship between science and the larger goals that helped create our world today.