Faculty Publications

Revisiting Abbott Thayer: Non-Scientific Reflections About Camouflage In Art, War And Zoology

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Abbott H. Thayer, Background picturing, Camouflage, Countershading, Disruptive coloration

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Volume

364

Issue

1516

First Page

497

Last Page

501

Abstract

This paper reviews the achievements of Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921), an American painter and naturalist whose pioneering writings on animal camouflage addressed shared concerns among artists, zoologists and military tacticians. It discusses his beliefs about camouflage (both natural and military) in the context of his training as an artist, with particular emphasis on three of his major ideas: countershading, ruptive (or disruptive) coloration and background picturing. © 2008 The Royal Society.

Department

Department of Art

Original Publication Date

2-27-2009

DOI of published version

10.1098/rstb.2008.0250

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