Gallery of Wild Animal Paintings in the Zoological Park

This beautiful collection of paintings of disappearing species, set in their natural habitats (or representations of their habitats), highlights key species that were under threat of extinction in the early 1900s. The introduction provides a particularly poignant description: “Sooner or later the development and growing population of the country at large will reach a point where there will be no more room for the larger forms of mammalian life. The bison, the sheep, the antelope and the wapiti as game animals have already disappeared or are doomed to vanish during the next few decades.” Many of the species detailed in this book are still threatened, like the polar bear, or have already become extinct, like the great auk. Some, like the buffalo, have come back from the brink of extinction, providing hope for the future of endangered species. This collection features works by several leading wildlife painters of the time: Carl Rungius, a prolific wildlife painter is prominently featured; Charles R. Knight, a well-known paleoartist with several works in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; A. Radcliffe Dugmore, a distinguished wildlife artist; Louis Agassiz Fuertes, one of America’s most prolific bird artists; and Bruce Horsfall, a well-known wildlife illustrator.