Opossum Mouse
1810
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1810
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Opossum Mouse is a 1810 by Thomas Lord Busby, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a small animal with a long tail and pointy snout clinging upside down to a bare tree branch. The tree has a few twigs with tiny buds, and the background has a faint sketch of hills or cliffs. The animal’s fur looks rough, and its legs are spread out like it’s hanging on tight. The title at the bottom says "Opossum Mouse," which isn’t a real animal—it’s a mix-up from old drawings. The artist copied it from a sketch in a book about animals. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more odd animal prints like this.
An engraving on paper, hand-colored, depicts a small mammal with brown fur and a long tail leaping between trees. The creature resembles a flying squirrel, featuring a patagium—a membrane stretching between its limbs—that enables gliding. Published in 1810 as part of George Perry’s *Arcana, or, The Museum of Natural History*, the image appears in a monthly series featuring illustrations and descriptions of diverse animals. The work combines scientific observation with artistic rendering within a broader survey of natural history.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Thomas Lord Busby had a habit of hiding tiny jokes in his prints—like calling a giraffe a "cameleopard" like it was an ancient Greek monster.
See the richer artist page
