John Gould Birds, various editions

Navigation 2023

Since Adirondack Retro acquired Darvill's Rare Prints in August of 2022, we have been working tirelessly on our New State-Of-The Art Website . We are excited to announce that it is now up and running and that our massive inventory of Antique Prints and Rare Maps are being transferred over to the new site daily. In addition to the nearly 500,000 prints found on www.DarvillsRarePrints.com, Adirondack Retro offers an eclectic selection of Antique and Vintage Advertisements along with their Limited Edition Giclee Prints. During this transition, customers will still be able to shop and make purchases on www.DarvillsRarePrints.com.

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John Gould
(1804-1881)

original antique Gould bird prints from various editions

Original hand-coloured lithographs over 150 years old

Titles in English and Latin

Sheet size: approx. 21.75 x 14.5 inches.

One of the great bird artists of all time, John Gould (1804-1881) created over 3,000 plates of birds in over 40 volumes. Around 1830, while working as taxidermist for the Zoological Society of London, he received a shipment of exotic bird skins from the Himalayas. Soon after, he published A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains.

The success of this work, along with the Birds of Europe (1832-37) and a Monograph of the Ramphastidae [Toucans] allowed him to travel to Australia and New Guinea. Among Gould's better known works are the Birds of Australia (1849-69), the Birds of Asia (1850-83), and Birds of Great Britain (1862-73). Though Gould himself sketched most of his plates, other artists such as his wife Elizabeth, Edward Lear, Joseph Wolf, William Hart and Henry C. Richter finished them. Gould's plates are highly esteemed for their composition, accurate detail, and coloring.

These prints are original. Most are in excellent condition, some show a little age toning (which may not always be evident in the photos) and may have some minor, age-appropriate blemishes. Please click on the thumbnail images for an enlarged view of the entire plate.
Most of these stunning Gould prints are currently shrink-wrapped on acid-free foam core for safe storage, which makes taking accurate photographs difficult. Rest assured that these are remarkably beautiful hand-colored lithographs and the photos do not do them justice!

Florisuga Ater
(Pied Jacobin Hummingbird)