Black Warrior (No. 18) 1830

John James Audubon created this watercolor and graphite drawing, Black Warrior, sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It depicts two birds perched on tree branches. The drawing's visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations reveal much about the attitudes toward nature in the United States at the time. Audubon was involved in a project to document all known species of birds in the United States. In his undertaking, he gave himself a monumental, even nationalistic task. But it was also tied to the westward expansion of the United States. The project was self-consciously progressive in its goal of cataloging all American birds, yet it was also deeply implicated in the destructive processes of colonialism and industrialization that were rapidly transforming the American landscape. Audubon's art reminds us of the complex relationship between scientific inquiry, artistic representation, and the social and environmental changes that shaped 19th-century America. To understand the meaning of Audubon's art, we might consult ornithological guides, historical maps, and other records that shed light on the environmental history of the period.