John Gould Birds of Australia.

John Gould bird illustrations include the finest illustrations ever done of Australian birds. Starting in 1830 when he was twenty-six, for over fifty years Englishman John Gould (1804-1881) published fifteen superb works on the birds of the world, and became known as The Bird Man. In 1909 The Gould League of Bird Lovers in Australia was named in honour of the father of Australian birds John Gould and the mother of Australian birds, his artist wife Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841).
At fourteen, John Gould began work as an apprentice gardener with his father in the Windsor Royal Gardens. The British Museum’s zoology collection at Tring in Hertfordshire still contains magpies that were shot and stuffed by Gould during his first year. He showed entrepreneurial skill at a young age by selling stuffed birds to the sons of aristocracy at nearby Eton College. After gardening at Ripley Castle in Yorkshire, Gould opened business in London and became a successful taxidermist. He even stuffed birds for King George IV.

At the age of twenty-two Gould was appointed Curator Preserver of the new Museum of the Zoological Society in London. Inspired by a collection of Himalayan birds that was neither described nor illustrated, Gould enlisted Edward Lear (who had worked as an artist at the Zoological Society from the age of 16), to train Gould’s artist wife Elizabeth, in the art of lithography.

   

         

Gould had an excellent eye for scientific detail as well as colour. Aware of his limitations as an artist, Gould employed fine bird illustrators to produce 3,000 beautiful hand-coloured lithographic plates of birds from different families and different regions of the world. Elizabeth Gould lithographed over 600 plates, and drew sketches for hundreds more - until she died after the birth of their eighth child.

With great business acumen John Gould enlisted financial support from over 300 contemporary naturalists, museums in England and Europe, and British nobility, for his expeditions around the world and the grand publications of magnificent hand-coloured lithographs of birds.
   

 

John Gould Birds of Australia are now available as inexpensive Heritage Editions prints. 500 of each bird were colour-printed, the same size as the originals.

       

Heritage Editions Australian Limited Edition Maps

Bowen c1744. 1st English map of Australia

Heritage Editions Limited Editions maps have been reprinted from antique maps that reported some of the most important milestones in the discovery of Australia.

Many individuals contributed to the publication of original antique maps when the journals and charts of a voyage were originally published. A map may have been surveyed by a navigator on a voyage, drawn by a cartographer (literally, map-drawer), and then carved into a metal plate by an engraver after the ship returned home. Sometimes one or more specialist map illustrators were employed to draw and engrave embellishments for more important maps. After they were printed the maps were often published for an atlas, or a travel book recording voyages of discovery. This would have involved an editor who compiled the book or atlas, and a publisher who organized the printing and binding. If the map was important it was sometimes published in more than one country. This involved additional editors and publishers – and sometimes also engravers when the map was re-engraved.

  

Cook c1770. 1st chart of eastern Australia 'New South Wales' & Cape Tribulation to Endeavour Straits

If a map required updating following later discoveries, the updated section of the engraved copperplate would be beaten or ground flat, and re-engraved for re-publication. Each antique maps is considered to be an original map of the date of its publication. “Original” indicates that a map was printed onto a piece of paper from an engraved plate at the original publication date specified. 

John Oxley c1823. Brisbane River chart

It is always nice to be able to buy an original antique copperplate engraving of an important early map or chart. However, not only is this sometimes not possible owing to limited funds, it is also sometimes not practical as there is only a limited number of pieces of paper surviving and some are rarely seen outside museums or other public institutions.

Later edition reproduction prints of these important maps have been reprinted as Limited Editions. Because of their importance, for wider enjoyment, the above maps are now available as Heritage Editions. Printed in small numbers, these are now referred to as modern Limited Editions.