Straddling the Line Between Enlightenment and Romantic Approaches to Depiction of Animals

Genius of British Wood Engraving and Puffin

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of Thomas Bewick’s childhood on his sensitivity towards the natural world, analyzing the memoir of the artist and the print Puffin (1804). Through a comparative analysis of his work with George Stubbs’s The Anatomy of the Horse (1766) and Théodore Géricault’s A Horse Frightened by the Lightning (1814), this research argues that Bewick’s prints align more closely with Naturphilosophie art than with the Enlightenment tradition. By reviewing the politics of animal representation in late 18th and early 19th century Britain, I argue that Bewick’s work anticipated progressive philosophical thoughts on animal agency and human-nature unity. This study offers a previously overlooked perspective on Bewick’s art, situating it at the intersection of scientific observation, emotional connection, and philosophical inquiry.