John Gould Blue Petrel, Procellaria Coerulea original lithograph c1840-8.

by Gould, John

Original John Gould hand-coloured lithograph of Australian blue petrels, Procellaria coerulea by John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter for “Birds of Australia ” published in London between 1840 and 1848 by John Gould (1804-1881).

Known as The Bird Man, John Gould spent over 50 years publishing beautiful hand-coloured lithographs from around the world. Gould was a respected ornithologist, a discerning artist, and a successful businessman. He obtained subscribers’ funds prior to each work; and while he was apparently very demanding of his staff, he paid them well - except perhaps his artist wife Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841), who learnt lithography from the great parrot artist, Edward Lear. Elizabeth refined many of her husband’s drawings of birds, and lithographed over 600 of them – until she died following the birth of their eighth child after their return from Australia to England in 1840.

Fine hand-coloured lithograph in good condition. We provide a close-up to show the beauty of this lithograph of Australian petrels. The full size is as published, 535 x 370mm (21 x 14.5 inches).