The Bald Eagle
c.1722-6RCIN 924814
The bald eagle is one of the most striking plates in Catesby’s Natural History and he placed it at the beginning of the first volume. It was rare for Catesby to introduce drama into his compositions, as he does here, where the eagle swoops to catch a fish dropped by an osprey above. In 1782 the bald eagle was chosen as the emblem of the United States of America.