Bird, Gould John, Sphenaeacus Galactotes, c1930, Reproduction

John Gould Reproduction Honeyeater bird print. 

Lansdowne reproduction from a hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter for "Birds of Australia" by John Gould, originally published in London between 1840 and 1848.

 

There are about 170 species of Honey Eaters, all unique to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Most eat nectar which they get by sticking their long tounges into flowers or between pieces of bark.

Known as "the Bird Man", John Gould was a naturalist whose passion was the field of ornithology. He combined his good eye for detail with his business acumen, and with the assistance of his artist wife Elizabeth and a few other lithographers, he illustrated the birds of many countries. By obtaining wealthy subscribers prior to each venture, John Gould was able to publish series of large hand-coloured lithographs that have not been surpassed to this day.

While most people have heard of John Gould Birds, many do not know that his wife Elizabeth was trained in lithography by the great bird artist, Edward Lear. Elizabeth Gould refined most of the early drawings and completed over 600 lithographs for her husband's grand publications - until she died after the birth of their eighth child..

Image size, as originally published, 535 x 360mm

 John Gould employed the finest lithographers of the day to create large hand-coloured lithographs that are some of the finest bird illustrations ever done. Gould had an excellent eye for detail, and closely supervised the work of his lithographers.