The Monikins
1870s
Step onto the deck of a ship where humans and intelligent monkeys share the space in this whimsical illustration for James Fenimore Cooper's satirical novel 'The Monikins.' A monkey dressed in a formal coat and hat—identified in the text as Dr. Reasono—is busy drawing on a globe with a ship's tool called a fid, while a man in a blue jacket looks on with curiosity. Another man in a striped jacket sits nearby, seemingly observing the monkey's impressive skills. The scene brings to life Cooper's funny premise of a highly evolved primate society that mirrors human civilization, illustrated here by the famous American artist F.O.C. Darley.
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