Wildcat c. 1873

Editor: This is Karl Bodmer's "Wildcat," a small etching. The wildcat looks posed, almost regal, despite its diminutive size. What symbolic weight does this creature carry, in your opinion? Curator: The wildcat, across cultures, embodies untamed instinct and independence. Consider its gaze, a symbol of self-reliance, amplified by the dense thicket suggesting impenetrable wildness, a space outside of human control. Do you see other symbols of this wild nature? Editor: I see the contrast of its smallness within this wildness, which is intriguing. Curator: Precisely. The animal's size is juxtaposed with a larger cultural anxiety regarding untamed nature, a symbol of what lies beyond civilization's imposed order. Editor: So, it’s both a portrait and a symbol. Curator: Yes, a reminder of our complex relationship with the wild, both within and without.