Weird Pictures From 18th Century Artists Who Had To Draw Animals Without Ever Seeing Them

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2/12 Cats
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3/12 Hippopotamus
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4/12 Giraffe
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5/12 Walrus
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6/12 Sloth
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7/12 Monkey
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8/12 Shrew
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9/12 Walrus
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10/12 Possum
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11/12 Bat
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12/12 Monkey
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Before discovering the luxury of taking a photograph, people had limited tools for conveying their sights and experiences. So when 18th century artists were asked to draw animals based on nothing more than field notes and second-hand descriptions of exotic creatures from faraway lands, the results left much to be desired.

The finished drawings often featured strange human expressions, odd proportions, and on more than one occasion, extra appendages. They’re also pretty flat-out hilarious!

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