John Gould Lithograph Helianthea Eos

Description

This is an original hand-colored lithograph by John Gould, entitled “Helianthea Eos”, which is from his series “A Monograph of the Trochilidae”, or Family of Hummingbirds.  The series was originally published in London between 1849-1861.

This particular lithograph was drawn and colored by J Gould & H C Richter (seen on the lower left corner), and printed by Hullmandel & Walton (seen on the lower right corner).  It was published c. 1860.

John Gould (1804-1881) is often considered the “Audubon of Great Britain” due to his well-known production of color plates of birds in the mid 19th century.

Gould chose the medium of lithography after recognizing the significant advantages that lithography offers in order to skip the usual engraving step and thereby better capture his own artistic vision.  Gould generally made the original sketches himself, and early on his wife Elizabeth transferred them to lithographic stones and meticulously hand-colored them.  Later, Gould worked with other well-known print artists and colorists such as Henry Constantine Richter (1821-1902), who is featured on this particular work.

This lithograph measures approximately 21 x 17 inches, including frame and glass.  It’s in very nice condition.