Essay: Forbes’ Ornamental Feather Art

Madison Clyburn has written an essay, which you can read here, entitled “Forbes’ Ornamental Feather Art: Nature Printing as Collage.” The essay discusses how James Forbes’ use of ornamental feather art is part of a longer tradition of featherwork that spans cultures and centuries. Collage techniques were already in use in 12th-century Japan, and feather art was prevalent across various cultures, including Mesoamerica, China, India, and Europe. Featherworks were used for both spiritual and decorative purposes, ranging from peacock feather-adorned musical instruments in India to luxurious feather mosaics in Mesoamerica. Forbes’ feather art exemplifies the European fascination with feathers in the 18th and 19th centuries, which spurred a global feather trade. During this time, nature printing using feathers, butterfly wings, and even fish skins became a popular artistic technique. Nature printing has an enduring appeal which has evolved, through time and across cultures, as both an artistic and ornamental practice.