Tijger 1832

This lithograph of a tiger was made by Louis Gustave Kierdorff in London in 1832. The image speaks to Britain’s long history of colonialism, and the country’s fascination with exotic animals. In the early 19th century, London was at the heart of a vast empire. As the British explored, invaded, and occupied territories across the globe, they brought back examples of foreign flora and fauna to the metropole, with London becoming a centre for their study and display. By the 1830s, London Zoo had already been open for several years, and would have been a major attraction. The zoo was initially intended as a centre for scientific study, but it soon opened to the public. Kierdorff’s image chimes with this context, in that the image has an objective, scientific feel, yet it would also have appealed to the popular imagination. Studying Britain’s colonial history can shed new light on the meaning and importance of such images.