During the eighteenth century, a new kind of animal appeared: “the purebred.” Purebred cattle, sheep and dogs differed from their forebears; they came in new shapes and colors, they were grown to enormous sizes, and they became the subject of a culture of bodily judgment at racetracks, at fairs, and in an enormous art market. Their highly regulated blood relationships became the source for new ideas about heredity and the capacity of bodies to change, which would prove crucial to thinkers like Charles Darwin. This talk will examine these connections, linking cattle portraiture to evolution, theories of beauty, and to the beginnings of the industrial food system.
Presented by:
Professor Emily Pawley, History
Stafford Auditorium, Rector Science Complex
Thursday, Feb. 21
Noon - 1:00 pm
Free pizza!!!