Antique Prints, Maps, & Books of Natural History, Botanicals, & More
Lot 1408:
Description
Four lithographs from:
This lovely, originally hand-colored lithograph is from Silvester Diggles’s
Companion to Gould’s Handbook; or, synopsis of the birds of Australia containing nearly one-third of the whole, or about 220 examples, for the most part from the original drawings of Sylvester Diggles.. This is the second edition of the work and was published in Brisbane by Thorne & Greenwell in 1877. The lithographs were completed by Henry Green Eaton, who was a transported convict from England.
This was the most ambitious hand-colored work published in Australia. It illustrated over 200 native Australian birds. "The plates and text were originally published in parts between 1866 and 1870 under the title
The Ornithology of Australia. Financial crisis and a subsequent drop in subscriber numbers meant Diggles was not able to complete the ornithology to his satisfaction, and by 1877 felt that the series was ‘as complete as it probably ever will be.’ As a result, the work was reissued in its definitive form with new title…" (Wantrup)
Silvester Diggles (1817-1880) was a pioneering Australian naturalist with particular interest in birds and insects. He emigrated from Great Britain in the 1850s. He helped found the Queensland Philosphical Society in 1859, the first scientific institution in Australia. He also helped establish the Queensland Museum.
One lithograph from:
This impeccable, hand-colored lithograph is from the first edition of Gregory Macalister Mathew’s
The Birds of Australia. The work was published in London by Witherby & Co. between 1910 and 1927. The artists that contributed to the work included J. G. Keulemans, Gronvold, R. Green, Goodchild, and Lodge.
This work was the first major work on Australian birds since John Gould’s and illustrated 100 further species than his work. It is also one of the last important natural history works to be illustrated with hand-colored lithographs. The edition was limited to 225 copies.
Gregory Macalister Mathews (1870-1949) was a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and affiliated with a number of scientific organizations. He was named Order of Commander of the British Empire for his contributions to science.
"An enormous amount of information is contained in these volumes, in which the literature concerned and the question of nomenclature are fully treated. Under each genus synonyms, a brief diagnosis, a description, and a key to the species are given, while under each form we find a detailed synomyny, information about distribution and as far as posssible, a description of the adult male, the adult female, the immature bird, and the nestling; the eggs and the nests are also described, and the breedings-months stated. Then follows an account of the habits and life-history of the birds, including long quotations from the literature." (Anker p. 163)
"Time was also running out for J.G. Keulemans but not before he had started on Mathew’s monumental work, ‘The Birds of Australia’, one of the most important ornithological treatises ever published… Keulemans completed 163 illustrations for the first four volumes before he died on the 29th of March 1912." (Keulemans & Coldewey, Feathers to Brush p. 27)
Provenance: Henry Boardman Conover (1892-1950), an amateur ornithologist who donated his collections of 18,000 specimens to the Field Museum; Estate of Peter Fortsas
Paper Size: Diggles: ~ 10 1/4" by 14 3/4"; Mathews ~ 10" by 13 3/4"
Paper Type or Special Features: Originally Hand-colored Lithograph
Condition report:
The work is in excellent condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.
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