Cranes. Stork, Heron, Bittern, Egret ornithology engraving. Rees c1811.

by Rees, Abraham

Antique print of Order Grallae, Genus Ardea (Crane). White Stork, Gigantic Heron, Minute Bittern, Great Egret, Tiger Bittern.

Original copperplate engraving c1811 by Milton after the drawing by Welsh natural history illustrator, Sydenham Edwards (1768-1819) for The Cyclopaedia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences and Literature by Abraham Rees, published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown at Paternoster Row in London.

The New Cyclopaedia was the brainchild of Presbyterian minister and scholar, Abraham Rees (1743-1825) who for many years had revised Chamber’s Cyclopaedia. Rees commissioned the foremost artists and scientists in each field for his encyclopedia. It appeared in parts which finally encompassed 39 volumes of text, and 6 volumes of plates which included an atlas, one volume illustrated natural history, and four volumes illustrated agriculture, geology, the remaining sciences, foreign exploration, technology and the arts. The illustrations (printed separately from their text) have always been collected. It was a very ambitious project, and the most comprehensive encylopedia of the 19th century. Longman and Rees began publishing in 1802, but there were different partnerships of publishers during the length of production.

t is later hand-colour as they were not coloured at the time of publication. Page size is 26.5 x 20.5cm (approximately 10 1/2 x 8 inches).