The first specimen of Archaeopteryx, a transitional fossil blending reptilian and avian features, was discovered in the Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria, Germany. Its discovery provided immediate and powerful evidence for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, which was published a few years later. Archaeopteryx became a celebrated icon of evolution, showing a clear link between extinct reptiles and modern birds.

The discovery of Archaeopteryx offered poets and writers a tangible symbol of evolutionary transition, a creature that embodied the strange and incomplete nature of the fossil record. This 'first bird' became a powerful metaphor for the journey of life and the interconnectedness of all species, themes that resonated deeply with Victorian and Modernist poets. It provided a concrete image to represent the gradual and transformative processes at the heart of Darwin's revolutionary theory.