The birds of Australia, 1848

Gould’s pattern set for colour

Colouring In

John Gould is best known in Australia for his monumental book, Birds of Australia, which contains 600 hand-coloured lithographs. It was published by subscription in London in 36 parts between 1840 and 1848; each part sold for £1 15s. Two hundred and fifty copies were printed.

Gould had travelled around Australia between 1838 and 1840 and every Australian species then known was illustrated, including 328 species new to science.

This copy is unique; it is made up of the preliminary hand-coloured lithographs before the printed titles were added. These were used as prototypes to guide the colourists employed to hand paint the illustrations and they include manuscript instructions. It is a mystery when it was acquired by the Technological College and how such a significant item for the study of John Gould, who had died in London in 1881, ended up in the Antipodes.
Display item The birds of Australia, 1848

 

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