The Corn Snake (Coluber fulvius?)

Catesby employed copper‑plate etching to outline the forms, followed by engraving to deepen lines and texture. After printing on laid paper, the image was finished by hand‑applying watercolor pigments, a common practice that allowed subtle coloration while preserving the precision of the line work. The result balances detailed naturalistic rendering with a lively, almost painterly surface.

The print appears in *Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands*, a multi‑volume work issued between 1729 and 1747. The publication contained 220 plates, each illustrating a different plant or animal encountered by the English naturalist Mark Catesby during his travels in the American South. Original copies of the volume are held in several major research libraries.

Created during a period when European scholars were eager to catalogue the New World’s biodiversity, the image contributed to the emerging scientific knowledge of North American reptiles. Catesby’s systematic approach combined field observation with artistic documentation, influencing later naturalists and illustrators who sought to merge empirical study with visual representation.