Mississippi Bear

Famed animal sculptor Antoine Louis Barye also produced watercolors and a few prints. Framed in a similar fashion to other images by Barye of animals such as lions and tigers, this lithograph shows a black bear from the exotic state of Mississippi. These large beasts were plentiful there until around 1900, attracting big game hunters, including President Theodore Roosevelt. During his 1902 visit to the Mississippi Delta, the president refused to shoot an injured and lassoed bear, considering it unsportsmanlike. This humane response is said to have inspired a toymaker to produce the Teddy Bear. After a precipitous population decline and a recent recolonization effort, black bears in Mississippi are now making a comeback.