Zebra, Illustration to ‘General History of Quadrupeds’ 1822

Editor: Here we have Isaac Nicholson's "Zebra, Illustration to 'General History of Quadrupeds.'" It looks like an engraving or lithograph. What stands out to you about the process of making this image? Curator: Consider the social context. This wasn't fine art, but scientific illustration, a form of visual labor tied to exploration and categorization of the natural world. The means of production—engraving—allowed for mass reproduction and dissemination of knowledge, impacting consumption patterns of information. Editor: So, it's less about artistic expression and more about the distribution of knowledge? Curator: Precisely. The materiality of the print—paper, ink, the engraver’s tools—enabled the spread of information, shaping how people understood the world. Editor: Interesting! It reframes how I see the image. Curator: Indeed, thinking about the materials and the labor behind them gives us a much broader understanding.