Revisiting Abbott Thayer: non-scientific reflections about camouflage in art, war and zoology

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.