Sketch of a Man Seated; Sketch of a Dead Deer (from Sketchbook) 1857 - 1867

This is a page from Thomas Hewes Hinckley’s sketchbook with two sketches, one of a seated man, and another of a dead deer. Hinckley lived during a time of significant expansion and industrialization in America, but he was known for pastoral scenes of animals in nature. There is a strange pairing here, the juxtaposition of a figure who may well be a hunter, with the hunted. The man is presented in a casual posture. He is not aiming a rifle or preparing to shoot. It makes me wonder about the artist's intention. Is he glorifying the hunter, or is the artist asking us to consider our relationship with nature? I am left wondering about our relationship with the natural world, the roles we play, and what narratives we choose to perpetuate.