ABOUT THE PUBLICATION / EDITOR / ARTIST

John GOULD  (1804–1881), William Hart (1830-1908)

In 1871 John Gould began the publication of a work in five volumes folio, on the Birds of New Guinea and adjacent islands, to be issued in twenty-five parts. At the time of Gould's death, in 1881, only twelve of the parts had been issued, the thirteen remaining parts having been prepared by Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, the eminent ornithologist in charge of the Department of Birds at the British Museum. The work contains 320 plates, in the excellent style of Gould's other well-known large folio works on the Birds of Asia, Australia, Great Britain, etc. The 'Introduction', by Mr. Sharpe, gives a historical summary of ornithological exploration in New Guinea and the Papuasian Islands.

William Hart, another of Gould’s artists, was a colourer of plates and he continued this occupation while drawing and lithographing for Gould. He coloured Richter’s plates for the Hummingbirds, using lavish metallic paints. As artist and lithographer he worked on The Birds of Great Britain, The Birds of Asia, The Birds of New Guinea, A monograph of the Pittidae, the 2nd edition of A monograph of the Trogonidae, or the Trogons, and the supplement of A monograph of the Trochilidae, or family of Hummingbirds.

Reference:

Taken from preparations by Carol Cantrell as the basis for a talk to be presented to The Australian Museum Society on 21 and 23 April 1998.

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