New Zealand Kiwi. John Gould Apteryx Australis print.

by Gould, John

John Gould Kiwi, New Zealand bird. Lansdowne reproduction print from a hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter for "Birds of Australia" by John Gould, published in London between 1840 and 1848.

Known as "the Bird Man", John Gould was a naturalist whose passion was the field of ornithology. He combined his good eye for detail with his business acumen, and with the assistance of his artist wife Elizabeth and a few other lithographers, he illustrated the birds of many countries. By obtaining wealthy subscribers prior to each venture, JohnGould was able to publish series of large hand-coloured lithographs that have not been surpassed to this day.

While most people have heard of John Gould birds, many do not know that his wife Elizabeth was trained in lithography by the great bird artist, Edward Lear. Elizabeth Gould refined most of the early drawings and completed over 600 lithographs for her husband's grand publications - until she died after the birth of their eighth child..

 Image size, as originally published, 30 x 37cm (21 x  14.5 inches).