There’s a certain air about a hen. The pomp of her walk, the way she holds her head up as she struts, rocking her hips as she goes. She acts as if she is the most important and delicate lady you’ll ever have the honor of meeting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another creature act as high and mighty as the lowly hen. I wanted to elevate them and explore that grandiose behavior in my work. 

Mon Petit Poussin is meant to mimic the daguerreotype portraits of the Victorian era. Each portrait is a cyanotype print of the chickens. Behind them is a collage of flowers that have a meaning in the Victorian language of flowers and each chicken’s personal feather is included in the print. All the hens are poised to exhibit an aura of regality and splendor. Along with each print is a love poem, meant to be written as if by a jilted lover of the hen. Below the poems are the flowers that are included in each print as well as their meanings. Each hen’s name has been embroidered onto the oval outline of every portrait.

“Mon petit poussin” is a French term of endearment. It means “my little chick” and can either be for a romantic partner or a child. To the anonymous lovers who wrote the poems, the hens are unattainable sweethearts. To me, the hens are as rambunctious and cheeky as human children. In the portraits, the hens take on the character of noble women of the Victorian era. Beautiful, majestic, and proud. Even though they are presented in an exalted and dignified way, each hen will always be my petit poussin, my little chick.