Strumaria tenella (L.f. ) Snijman Possibly 1777 - 1786

Robert Jacob Gordon created this botanical illustration of Strumaria tenella using pen, ink, and watercolor. Gordon was a Dutch military officer and explorer of Scottish descent, who served the Dutch East India Company. His work offers insights into the complex intersection of science, colonialism, and identity in the 18th century. As a figure embedded in the colonial structure, his exploration and documentation of the natural world were shaped by the power dynamics of the time. Gordon's position as an explorer and documentarian raises questions about the gaze through which he viewed and represented the flora of Southern Africa. The delicate rendering of the Strumaria tenella invites us to reflect on the nuanced relationship between observer and observed, and the ways in which cultural and historical contexts influence our understanding of the natural world.