Original Watercolor on Arches 140lb Cold Press

18x24

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The Thylacine - or “Tasmanian Tiger” is a marsupial native to Tasmania, and was driven to extinction on September 7th, 1936. “Benjamin”, the last Thylacine died 2 weeks after the species was granted protection status.

In 1825, Van Diemen’s Land Co. was granted the land that is now Tasmania by King George IV to establish a wool supply for the British textile industry.

Though the Thylacine posed no threat to sheep, they set bounties on the animal which ultimately resulted in its extinction. They were both “unwanted” by farmers out of fear of predation, and “wanted” for the easy money their carcass could fetch.

As they became more and more rare, the bounty price skyrocketed only increasing their rate of extinction. By the end, you could by a house off the bounty of one animal

I researched the bounty posters of the time and set “Benjamin” on them, in defiance.