A cheetah before 1886

Editor: So, here we have a gelatin-silver print titled "A cheetah," made sometime before 1886 by J. Fortuné Nott. The animal looks a little melancholy, trapped behind bars. What do you make of this piece, how does it speak to you? Curator: Melancholy is a perfect word! You know, I often wonder about the circumstances surrounding images like this. Was it commissioned? A study for something larger? Or was the artist simply captivated by the creature and its confined existence? Look at how meticulously Nott renders the cheetah's coat, but the cage is much more loosely suggested. Editor: That's interesting; it does give more emphasis to the cheetah, almost blurring the cage into the background, despite being right in the foreground. Curator: Exactly. Maybe that's the point, isn't it? To me, it's not just a portrait of a cheetah, but a portrait of confinement. We are drawn into its gaze... it is an intimate connection to another being’s captivity. Editor: I can see that. It almost feels like the cheetah is looking directly at us, inviting us to empathize with its situation. But also, I am fascinated by it being presented within a sketchbook; I find myself considering it as an intimate, or even secret piece. Curator: Beautiful. It’s like a memento, right? Not just a picture, but a memory of an encounter. I imagine Nott flipping through his sketchbook years later, that cheetah looking back. This reminds me, what animals capture your imagination? Editor: Hmm, perhaps an okapi or a clouded leopard. It seems, after all, that I'm just like J. Fortuné Nott! Anyway, thank you, that has given me a new perspective on the image! Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Until next time, onwards with curiosity!