Brooklyn Museum: American Art: The Cotton-Tail Rabbit among Dry Grasses and Leaves

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The Cotton-Tail Rabbit among Dry Grasses and Leaves

The artist-naturalist Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921) used assistants, including his wife, Emma, and his son Gerald, to help illustrate his book on animal camouflage, Concealing-Coloration in the Animal Kingdom (1909). This meticulously rendered watercolor demonstrates “countershading,” by which an animal such as the cottontail rabbit seems to disappear against the background of its natural habitat. Although many of Thayer’s theories sparked controversy within the scientific community, some were applied to military camouflage in World War II.

Artists: Gerald H. Thayer, American, 1883-1935; Emma Beach Thayer, 1850-1924
Medium: Opaque watercolor over graphite on cream, smooth textured paper-surfaced pulpboard
Dates: 1904
Dimensions: 18 3/4 x 19 1/2 in. (47.6 x 49.5 cm) Frame: 24 1/4 x 24 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (61.6 x 61.3 x 4.4 cm)
Signature: Signed and dated upper right: "Gerald H. Thayer / 1904 / (Background / 1904 partly by E.B.T.)"
Collections: American Art
Museum Location: This item is not on view
Exhibitions:
- Brushed with Light: American Landscape Watercolors from the Collection (September 14, 2007 through January 17, 2008)
Accession Number: 20.645
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney
Rights Statement: No known copyright restrictions
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Caption: Gerald H. Thayer (American, 1883-1935). The Cotton-Tail Rabbit among Dry Grasses and Leaves, 1904. Opaque watercolor over graphite on cream, smooth textured paper-surfaced pulpboard, 18 3/4 x 19 1/2 in. (47.6 x 49.5 cm) Frame: 24 1/4 x 24 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (61.6 x 61.3 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney, 20.645
Image: overall, 20.645.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don't yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

Catalogue Description: Illustration for "Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom" (1909)
Record Completeness: Best (87%)
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

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Collections: American Art: The Cotton-Tail Rabbit among Dry Grasses and Leaves