John Gould Birds of Great Britain Red-Breasted Flycatcher lithograph c1862-1873.

by Gould, John

John Gould Erythrosterna parva, Red-breasted Fly-catcher antique print. Original hand-coloured lithograph by Henry Constantine Richter for John Gould's "Birds of Great Britain" published in London between 1862 and 1873.

From 26 years of age John Gould began the 80 hand-coloured lithographs for his first folio-size work "A Century of Birds of the Himalayan Mountains" published during 1831 and 1832. He was greatly assisted in this and later publications by his artist wife Elizabeth Gould who refined many of her husband's sketches and completed around 600 lithographs for her husband's splendid publications. Between 1832 and 1837 Gould published "Birds of Europe". He adapted some of the lithographic plates of these birds by including the young and birds nests for the "Birds of Great Britain" which was the most comprehensive illustration of British birds at the time of publication. The lithographs were certainly the grandest that have ever been done of the birds of the U.K. and have coveted ever since they were published. 

In good condition, the digital picture shows a close-up of these lovely birds, but still does not do justice to this original John Gould lithograph, measuring 535 x 370 mm (21 x 14.5 inches).