Engraving by W.m. Craig: Part of the Natural History of America

Animals meet in a tangle of branches, and neither looks ready to give way.

This engraving is from England, United Kingdom, and dates to the 19th century. It is ink on paper. These European views of the East were not always accurate and were prone to stereotype, yet they reflected genuine curiosity, and many were hand colored and are still appreciated as historical artworks. Dark and upright, this natural history plate shows a long-bodied creature coiled low on the ground below a branch where another animal clings. Heavy shadow fills the sides. A caption in capitals names the work, with fine small text beneath. It is 7.5 inches wide and 10.25 high.

Nature was apparently dramatic even before it was illustrated.