Rocky Mountain Sheep 1845

John James Audubon created this print of "Rocky Mountain Sheep" as part of his "Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America" series. Audubon's project existed in a moment of rapid westward expansion in the United States, and the series embodies both scientific observation and an ideological claim to the land. These animals are rendered with great care. But think about what it meant to document and classify the natural world at a time when American settlers were displacing Indigenous peoples and transforming landscapes. Audubon's work invites us to consider the complex relationship between humans and nature, and the ways in which representation can both celebrate and exploit the environment. The artist’s prints serve as a reminder of the ecological costs of nation-building and the shifting cultural values of the nineteenth century.