Blanc de Hotot: a breed shaped by people

Hotot Rabbit Breeders International publishes Bob Whitman's historical account, including the development work attributed to Eugénie Bernhard and the later American importations in which he participated. France recognized the breed in 1922; ARBA acceptance followed in 1979. Whitman's account also explains that early selection sought to remove markings, while later breeders valued the remaining eye bands. The familiar appearance was therefore not merely copied unchanged from the first breeding goal. The history invites readers to distinguish a founder's intention from the trait that eventually became central to a breed's identity.