Native Creatures: The Indigenous Mammals and Birds of Missouri

As we commemorate Missouri’s bicentennial, Native Creatures: The Indigenous Mammals and Birds of Missouri explores images of animals that inhabited Missouri at the time the territory became a state in 1821.  Images created in that era by John James Audubon and Karl Bodmer depict animals and birds that are still found in Missouri, as well as some that are now extinct or extirpated.  Later works by artists such as Charles Schwartz and Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling represent Missouri’s biological diversity and encourage viewers to consider how settlement, industrialization, and agriculture have changed our ecosystems.