Franz Roubal. Wolharige mammoet op de toendra

The composition presents a solitary mammoth, its fur rendered in coarse brushwork, standing amid a frozen tundra. By portraying a prehistoric creature, the image functions as a visual conduit to the deep past, reflecting early‑twentieth‑century fascination with paleontology and the reconstruction of ancient ecosystems for scholarly and public audiences.

Executed in a painted medium suitable for reproduction on glass slides, the illustration employs a limited palette of muted whites, grays, and earthy tones to convey the chill of the environment. The brushstrokes are deliberately textured, emphasizing the animal’s hair and the barren ground, aligning the piece with the documentary illustration style common in archaeological publications of the era.

The slide’s creator remains unidentified, but its production is dated between roughly 1910 and 1967, a period marked by heightened interest in prehistory and archaeological documentation. Integrated into the EuroPhot collection, the image was part of a broader effort by the Université de Louvain to compile visual aids for art‑history and archaeology curricula, preserving it for future scholarly reference.