Gould, John; W. Hart

From 'Birds of New Guinea'.

John Gould is widely considered as the greatest and most ambitious of all Victorian ornithologists, combining both artistic skill, beauty and anatomical accuracy. Following the tradition of natural history illustrators, such as Barraband and Audubon, Gould enlisted the services of some of the most notable ornithological artists; including Edward Lear, Joseph Wolf and his own wife, Elizabeth, to complete the most outstanding and comprehensive works in the field.

Perhaps the most important and valuable of his works is the 'Birds of Australia', published in London 1840-48, with a supplement issued 1851-69, of which this plate is an example. A contemporary critic said 'Great as is the excellence of Mr Gould's former publications, there can be no doubt that the present work exceeds them all, both in an artistic and scientific point of view... Whether the dignified repose of the Eagle, the pert Malurus, the restless Parrakeet, the lean and anxious Wader, he is equally successful in his efforts'. Today the work is noted as his most accomplished.

The most complete and comprehensive ornithological work on Australia ever completed; an incredible feat considering that the continent had only been discovered seventy years previously. A direct result of the labours of Gould and his assistants, is that over three hundred new species were added to the existing list of birds known to inhabit Australia.