Bolivian Rainbow Hummingbirds: A Framed 19th C. Hand-colored Lithograph by Gould

This striking framed Gould hand-colored lithograph is presented in a antiqued gold frame, a gold-colored fillet, and a light tan French mat, embellished with a mint-colored broad band. The frame measures 32" high, 25.5" wide and 1.25" thick. The hand-coloring is enhanced by the use of gum-arabic paint on the hummingbirds heads and necks, giving them an iridescent appearance. The descriptive text page from Gould's original publication is included. It is affixed to the back of the frame in a clear sleeve. The piece is in excellent condition.

John Gould (1804-1881]) was an English ornithologist and artist. He, like his American contemporary John James Audubon, published a number of books on birds in the mid 19th century, illustrated by hand-colored lithographs. His wife and fellow artist, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists including Edward Lear and Henry Constantine Richter produced lithographs for his various publications. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. Charles Darwin referenced Gould’s work in his book, "On the Origin of Species" and Gould named a bird after Darwin; "Darwin's finches".

Gould began his career in London as a taxidermist, but in 1827 became the first curator and conservator at the museum of the Zoological Society of London. In this position naturalists brought him collections of birds from all over the world. He began creating drawings and eventually hand-colored lithographs with his wife and Edward Lear, which were the basis for his first publications. Darwin brought him specimens from the Galapagos Islands, including 12 species of finches which had never been described. In 1838, Gould and his wife travelled to Australia and their work led to the seven volume publication of “The Birds of Australia”. Gould had a fascination for hummingbirds and collected specimens of 320 varieties before ever seeing a live hummingbird on a trip to the United States in 1857. He eventually published “A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds". Other large publications include: "The Birds of Europe"," A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans”, “A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands”, “A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America”, “The Birds of Asia”, “The Birds of Great Britain” and "The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia".

John Gould (1804-1881) was a British ornithologist and illustrator who is best known for his monumental work, "The Birds of Europe," published between 1832 and 1837. Gould was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, and began working as a taxidermist and natural history dealer in London in the 1820s. In 1827, Gould was appointed the first curator and preserver of birds at the Zoological Society of London, where he began to build his collection of specimens and began to study the birds of the world. He published his first monograph, "A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains," in 1831, which included 80 plates of Himalayan birds. Gould continued to publish numerous volumes on the birds of the world throughout his life, including "The Birds of Australia" (1840-1848) and "The Birds of Great Britain" (1862-1873). His works were highly regarded for their accuracy and detail, and he was one of the most prominent ornithologists of his time. In addition to his work as an ornithologist, Gould was also a successful businessman, and he used his profits to fund expeditions and to support the scientific community. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843, and he was awarded the Royal Medal in 1844 and the Gold Medal of the Zoological Society in 1856. John Gould died in London in 1881 at the age of 76. He is remembered as one of the greatest ornithologists of the 19th century and as a pioneer of the scientific study of birds.