 Church became especially known for his fondness of depicting animals, both in their natural state and in anthropomorphic "allegorical compositions" - having both the patience and empathy needed to gain the confidence of his animal "models" and a through understanding of animal anatomy, as well as of animal facial expressions and the moods and feelings they conveyed.His work on the Fables of Aesop, including an illustration of the human and animal protagonists of each fable plus an elaborate cover for the whole, is considered among the best of his works.Though living in the big city, he liked to make painting expeditions to the countryside.