Broadside with 36 images of quadrupeds (animals) 1862

Editor: Here we have a broadside print from 1862 by Juan Llorens, called “Quadrupeds, copied from Natural History”. It’s an engraving presenting a grid of animal drawings. It reminds me a bit of a page from a bestiary. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This work offers a fascinating glimpse into 19th-century ways of knowing and classifying the natural world. The organization into a grid suggests a desire for order and control, to contain nature through visual representation and categorization. The very act of copying, "copiados de la Historia Natural," implies a mediation, a translation of reality through pre-existing visual and textual frameworks. Notice how each animal is depicted. Are they naturalistic or idealized? Editor: Some of the animals, like the elephant, seem fairly accurate, while others have almost cartoonish qualities. The dog-like creatures, for example, feel generic. Curator: Exactly. These images weren’t necessarily about pure representation. They served as cultural and educational tools. Consider the repetition of form; the grid itself becomes a symbolic framework. How does this affect our reading of the animals contained within it? Editor: I guess it transforms each animal from a unique creature into something that's part of a larger, more abstract system. It becomes less about the individual animal and more about its place in a predefined order. Curator: Precisely. Each image acts as a signifier embedded within a system of visual communication, creating layers of meaning beyond simple representation. What lasting impression do you think this approach creates? Editor: Thinking about it, the ordered layout makes the real world seem tidier and more manageable than it actually is. It is reassuring, somehow, to believe we understand and can name everything around us. Thanks for shedding some light on that. Curator: My pleasure. Looking closely reveals hidden depths in these seemingly simple historical artifacts.