19th Century Animal Prints

The Competition is an original lithograph by J.J. Grandville from "Scènes de la vie privée et publique des animaux, 1852. Published by Manesq & Harvard, Paris. Good Conditions but ...

'1. Cynthia juliana 2. Anartia amalthea 3. Junonia orthosia' Late 19th century colour lithograph of butterflies.

"Townsend's Rocky Mountain Hare" is an original color lithograph by John James Audubon. This artwork features two gray hares in a muted, cool-colored landscape. 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" art...

Head Portrait of a Dog English School, 19th century oleograph print on paper on board, framed glass covered framed: 13 x 11.5 inches board: 9.5 x 8 inches Provenance: private collect...

This plate is unique because of the bird species' unmistakable beauty and the great scientific and artistic skill with which Elisabeth and Jhon Gould rendered it. The price quoted h...

Polish Swan is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print on ivory-colored paper. Hand-colored, published by Londo...

An original extremely collectible first octavo edition John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "Pinnated Grouse", No. 60, Pl. 296, from Audubon's "Birds of A...

Bewick's Swan is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & Sons, 1870....

This plate is unique because of the bird species' unmistakable beauty and the great scientific and artistic skill with which Elisabeth and Jhon Gould rendered it. The price quoted h...

'1. 2. Pseudolycaena marsyas 3. 4. Evenus regalis' Late 19th century colour lithograph of butterflies.

"Worm-Wood Hare" is an original color lithograph by John James Audubon. It depicts three brown rabbits in a landscape. No. 18, Plate LXXXVIII, On Stone by W.E. Hitchcock. 6" x 8" ar...

"The Race for the American Derby (Belmont Stakes)" is an original hand-colored lithograph published by Currier & Ives. It depicts three racehorses and their jockeys running in the Belmont Stakes. The caption for this lithograph says, "Spartan. Bramble. Duke of Magenta. Jerome Park, June 8th 1878. Mr. Geo. Lorillard's Duke of Magenta.....Hughes, 1....Messrs.Dwyer Bro's Bramble......Fisher, 2....Mr. P. Lorillard's Spartan.....Barrett, 3..... TIME 2:43 1/2." 12 7/8" x 16 7/8" art 21 7/8" x 25 7/8" frame Currier & Ives produced their prints in a building at 33 Spruce Street where they occupied the third, fourth and fifth floors. The third floor was devoted to the hand operated printing presses that were built by Nat's cousin, Cyrus Currier, at his shop Cyrus Currier & Sons in Newark, NJ. The fourth floor found the artists, lithographers and the stone grinders...

Color etching. Image Size: 8 ¼ x6.” Full margins. Signed lower right Son of the famous publisher and etcher Auguste Delâtre, Eugène Delâtre was to bec...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Long Haired Squirrel, No. 6, Plate XXVII", from John James Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America, published i...

Artist: John Latham (English, 1740-1837) Title: "Kamtschatkan Thrush", "Spotted-sided Grosbeak", "Crimson-bellied Flycatcher", and "Black-headed Grosbeak" Portfolio: A General History of Birds Year: 1821-1828 (second edition) Medium: Set of Four Original Hand-Colored Engravings on watermarked wove paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Jacob & Johnson, Winchester, UK Publisher: John Latham, Winchester, UK Reference: Brunet III, 872; Lowndes II, page 1314; Fine Bird Books page 87; Nissen IVB 532; Zimmer page 376 Sheet size (each): approx. 11.25" x 8.88" Image size (each): approx. 4.5" x 4.5" Condition: "Kamtschatkan Thrush", "Crimson-bellied Flycatcher", and "Black-headed Grosbeak" have some light offsetting to their sheets. "Spotted-sided Grosbeak" has some minor foxmarks and some light discoloration upper left in margin. They are all otherwise in very good condition with strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: acquired from Christie's, New York, NY, December 19, 1990. Comes from Latham's famous eleven volume portfolio "A General History of Birds" (1821-1828) (second edition), which consists of 193 hand-colored prints, made from engraved plates. "Kamtschatkan Thrush" and "Crimson-bellied Flycatcher" have an unidentified "1821" watermark lower right and upper right respectively. "Spotted-sided Grosbeak" has a "1820" watermark lower right. Biography: John Latham (27 June 1740 – 4 February 1837) was an English physician, naturalist and author. His main works were A General Synopsis of Birds (1781–1801) and General History of Birds (1821–1828). He was able to examine specimens of Australian birds...

Colour aquatint after Samuel Howitt (1756/7-1822). From Samuel Howitt's 'Foreign Field Sports' Samuel Howitt was an English painter, illustrator and etch...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Migratory Squirrel, No. 7, Plate XXXV", from John James Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America, published in P...

This plate is unique because of the bird species' unmistakable beauty and the great scientific and artistic skill with which Elisabeth and Jhon Gould rendered it. The price quoted h...

This is one of the illustrations of "Dizionario di scienze naturali" (Natural sciences dictionary) edited by Battelli nel 1831.  The work was made of 29 volumes, containing hundreds ...

This is one of the illustrations of "Dizionario di scienze naturali" (Natural sciences dictionary) edited by Battelli nel 1831.  The work was made of 29 volumes, containing hundreds ...

This is one of the illustrations of "Dizionario di scienze naturali" (Natural sciences dictionary) edited by Battelli nel 1831.  The work was made of 29 volumes, containing hundreds ...

Wood Pigeon is an Etching hand colored realized by Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert - Johann Friedrich Naumann, Illustration from Natural history of birds in pictures, published by Stu...

Tourtorelle With Necklace is an Etching hand colored realized by Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert - Johann Friedrich Naumann, Illustration from Natural history of birds in pictures, pu...

Yellow Wagtail is an Etching hand colored realized by Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert - Johann Friedrich Naumann, Illustration from Natural history of birds in pictures, published by ...

Etching and aquatint realized by Henry Alken in 1846. Plate from "The Analysis of the Hunting Field". Very good condition. Henry Alken (1765-1851) was en english painter and engrav...

This plate is unique because of the bird species' unmistakable beauty and the great scientific and artistic skill with which Elisabeth and Jhon Gould rendered it. The price quoted h...

Blackbird is an Etching hand colored realized by Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert - Johann Friedrich Naumann, Illustration from Natural history ...

Gull is an Etching hand colored realized by Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert - Johann Friedrich Naumann, Illustration from Natural history of birds in pictures, published by Stuttgart ...

"Shooting on the Prairie" is an original hand-colored lithograph by Currier & Ives. It depicts a hunter shooting at fowl in an open field. 8 1/2" x 12 1/2" art 20 1/4" x 23 3/4" frame Nathaniel Currier was a tall introspective man with a melancholy nature. He could captivate people with his piercing stare or charm them with his sparkling blue eyes. Nathaniel was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts on March 27th, 1813, the second of four children. His parents, Nathaniel and Hannah Currier, were distant cousins who lived a humble yet spartan life. When Nathaniel was eight years old, tragedy struck. Nathaniel’s father unexpectedly passed away leaving Nathaniel and his eleven-year-old brother Lorenzo to provide for the family. In addition to their mother, Nathaniel and Lorenzo had to care for six-year-old sister Elizabeth and two-year-old brother Charles. Nathaniel worked a series of odd jobs to support the family, and at fifteen, he started what would become a life-long career when he apprenticed in the Boston lithography shop of William and John Pendleton. A Bavarian gentleman named Alois Senefelder invented lithography just 30 years prior to young Nat Currier’s apprenticeship. While under the employ of the brothers Pendleton, Nat was taught the art of lithography by the firm’s chief printer, a French national named Dubois, who brought the lithography trade to America. Lithography involves grinding a piece of limestone flat and smooth then drawing in mirror image on the stone with a special grease pencil. After the image is completed, the stone is etched with a solution of aqua fortis leaving the greased areas in slight relief. Water is then used to wet the stone and greased-ink is rolled onto the raised areas. Since grease and water do not mix, the greased-ink is repelled by the moisture on the stone and clings to the original grease pencil lines. The stone is then placed in a press and used as a printing block to impart black on white images to paper. In 1833, now twenty-years old and an accomplished lithographer, Nat Currier left Boston and moved to Philadelphia to do contract work for M.E.D. Brown, a noted engraver and printer. With the promise of good money, Currier hired on to help Brown prepare lithographic stones of scientific images for the American Journal of Sciences and Arts. When Nat completed the contract work in 1834, he traveled to New York City to work once again for his mentor John Pendleton, who was now operating his own shop located at 137 Broadway. Soon after the reunion, Pendleton expressed an interest in returning to Boston and offered to sell his print shop to Currier. Young Nat did not have the financial resources to buy the shop, but being the resourceful type he found another local printer by the name of Stodart. Together they bought Pendleton’s business. The firm ‘Currier & Stodart’ specialized in "job" printing. They produced many different types of printed items, most notably music manuscripts for local publishers. By 1835, Stodart was frustrated that the business was not making enough money and he ended the partnership, taking his investment with him. With little more than some lithographic stones, and a talent for his trade, twenty-two year old Nat Currier set up shop in a temporary office at 1 Wall Street in New York City. He named his new enterprise ‘N. Currier, Lithographer’ Nathaniel continued as a job printer and duplicated everything from music sheets to architectural plans. He experimented with portraits, disaster scenes and memorial prints, and any thing that he could sell to the public from tables in front of his shop. During 1835 he produced a disaster print Ruins of the Planter's Hotel, New Orleans, which fell at two O’clock on the Morning of the 15th of May 1835, burying 50 persons, 40 of whom Escaped with their Lives. The public had a thirst for newsworthy events, and newspapers of the day did not include pictures. By producing this print, Nat gave the public a new way to “see” the news. The print sold reasonably well, an important fact that was not lost on Currier. Nat met and married Eliza Farnsworth in 1840. He also produced a print that same year titled Awful Conflagration of the Steamboat Lexington in Long Island Sound on Monday Evening, January 18, 1840, by which melancholy occurrence over One Hundred Persons Perished. This print sold out very quickly, and Currier was approached by an enterprising publication who contracted him to print a single sheet addition of their paper, the New York Sun. This single page paper is presumed to be the first illustrated newspaper ever published. The success of the Lexington print launched his career nationally and put him in a position to finally lift his family up. In 1841, Nat and Eliza had their first child, a son they named Edward West Currier. That same year Nat hired his twenty-one year old brother Charles and taught him the lithography trade, he also hired his artistically inclined brother Lorenzo to travel out west and make sketches of the new frontier as material for future prints. Charles worked for the firm on and off over the years, and invented a new type of lithographic crayon which he patented and named the Crayola. Lorenzo continued selling sketches to Nat for the next few years. In 1843, Nat and Eliza had a daughter, Eliza West Currier, but tragedy struck in early 1847 when their young daughter died from a prolonged illness. Nat and Eliza were grief stricken, and Eliza, driven by despair, gave up on life and passed away just four months after her daughter’s death. The subject of Nat Currier’s artwork changed following the death of his wife and daughter, and he produced many memorial prints and sentimental prints during the late 1840s. The memorial prints generally depicted grief stricken families posed by gravestones (the stones were left blank so the purchasers could fill in the names of the dearly departed). The sentimental prints usually depicted idealized portraits of women and children, titled with popular Christian names of the day. Late in 1847, Nat Currier married Lura Ormsbee, a friend of the family. Lura was a self-sufficient woman, and she immediately set out to help Nat raise six-year-old Edward and get their house in order. In 1849, Lura delivered a son, Walter Black Currier, but fate dealt them a blow when young Walter died one year later. While Nat and Lura were grieving the loss of their new son, word came from San Francisco that Nat’s brother Lorenzo had also passed away from a brief illness. Nat sank deeper into his natural quiet melancholy. Friends stopped by to console the couple, and Lura began to set an extra place at their table for these unexpected guests. She continued this tradition throughout their lives. In 1852, Charles introduced a friend, James Merritt Ives, to Nat and suggested he hire him as a bookkeeper. Jim Ives was a native New Yorker born in 1824 and raised on the grounds of Bellevue Hospital where his father was employed as superintendent. Jim was a self-trained artist and professional bookkeeper. He was also a plump and jovial man, presenting the exact opposite image of his new boss. Jim Ives met Charles Currier through Caroline Clark, the object of Jim’s affection. Caroline’s sister Elizabeth was married to Charles, and Caroline was a close friend of the Currier family. Jim eventually proposed marriage to Caroline and solicited an introduction to Nat Currier, through Charles, in hopes of securing a more stable income to support his future wife. Ives quickly set out to improve and modernize his new employer’s bookkeeping methods. He reorganized the firm’s sizable inventory, and used his artistic skills to streamline the firm’s production methods. By 1857, Nathaniel had become so dependent on Jims’ skills and initiative that he offered him a full partnership in the firm and appointed him general manager. The two men chose the name ‘Currier & Ives’ for the new partnership, and became close friends. Currier & Ives produced their prints in a building at 33 Spruce Street where they occupied the third, fourth and fifth floors. The third floor was devoted to the hand operated printing presses that were built by Nat's cousin, Cyrus Currier, at his shop Cyrus Currier & Sons in Newark, NJ. The fourth floor found the artists, lithographers and the stone grinders at work. The fifth floor housed the coloring department, and was one of the earliest production lines in the country. The colorists were generally immigrant girls, mostly German, who came to America with some formal artistic training. Each colorist was responsible for adding a single color to a print. As a colorist finished applying their color, the print was passed down the line to the next colorist to add their color. The colorists worked from a master print displayed above their table, which showed where the proper colors were to be placed. At the end of the table was a touch up artist who checked the prints for quality, touching-in areas that may have been missed as it passed down the line. During the Civil War, demand for prints became so great that coloring stencils were developed to speed up production. Although most Currier & Ives prints were colored in house, some were sent out to contract artists. The rate Currier & Ives paid these artists for coloring work was one dollar per one hundred small folios (a penny a print) and one dollar per one dozen large folios. Currier & Ives also offered uncolored prints to dealers, with instructions (included on the price list) on how to 'prepare the prints for coloring.' In addition, schools could order uncolored prints from the firm’s catalogue to use in their painting classes. Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives attracted a wide circle of friends during their years in business. Some of their more famous acquaintances included Horace Greeley, Phineas T. Barnum, and the outspoken abolitionists Rev. Henry Ward, and John Greenleaf Whittier (the latter being a cousin of Mr. Currier). Nat Currier and Jim Ives described their business as "Publishers of Cheap and Popular Pictures" and produced many categories of prints. These included Disaster Scenes, Sentimental Images, Sports, Humor, Hunting Scenes, Politics, Religion, City and Rural Scenes, Trains, Ships, Fire Fighters, Famous Race Horses, Historical Portraits, and just about any other topic that satisfied the general public's taste. In all, the firm produced in excess of 7500 different titles, totaling over one million prints produced from 1835 to 1907. Nat Currier retired in 1880, and signed over his share of the firm to his son Edward. Nat died eight years later at his summer home 'Lion’s Gate' in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Jim Ives remained active in the firm until his death in 1895, when his share of the firm passed to his eldest son, Chauncey. In 1902, faced will failing health from the ravages of Tuberculosis, Edward Currier sold his share of the firm to Chauncey Ives...

The Mouse is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published...

Lesser Black-Backed Gull is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & S...

Night Heron is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917). Woodcut print on ivory-colored paper. Hand-colored, published by London,...

'Algen I' (Seaweeds) German chromolithograph, circa 1895. Central vertical fold as issued. 240mm by 305mm (sheet)

Edward Donovan (1768–1837) was an Anglo Irish writer, natural history illustrator and amateur zoologist. Born in Cork, Ireland, Donovan was an avid collector of natural history speci...

This plate is unique because of the bird species' unmistakable beauty and the great scientific and artistic skill with which Elisabeth and Jhon Gould rendered it. The price quoted h...

The Monkey is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was publishe...

The Animal Skeleton is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Troi...

Edward Donovan (1768–1837) was an Anglo Irish writer, natural history illustrator and amateur zoologist. Born in Cork, Ireland, Donovan was an avid collector of natural history speci...

Edward Donovan (1768–1837) was an Anglo Irish writer, natural history illustrator and amateur zoologist. Born in Cork, Ireland, Donovan was an avid collector of natural history speci...

The Skeleton is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was publis...

The Skeleton is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was publis...

The Cat is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published i...

Mr. Cat and Miss. Fox Playing Rope Game With Little Cricket and Beetles is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper realized by J.J. Grandville from Scènes de la vie privée et p...

A Hunting Scene is a color lithograph realized by an anonymous artist in the late 19th century. Good conditions, except for usual signs of aging. The artwork shows a hunting scene involving three animals indicated with the alphabet letters...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "White Weasel Slout, No. 12, Plate LIX" from John James Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America, published in Ph...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Florida Rat", No. 1, Plate IV", from John James Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America, published in Philadelp...

Great Plover is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & Sons, 1870. ...

'Finland Bear Hunting' Colour aquatint by Mathew Dubourg (1786-1838) after Manschirch. From Samuel Howitt's 'Foreign Field Sports'. Samuel Howitt was an English painter, illustrato...

The Mouses is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la ...

'Metamorpha dido' Late 19th century colour lithograph of butterflies.

Grundy 36, published by R. Acherman. Inscribed in stone lower left: 'James Ward R.A. Pinxt et Delt. / Dogs of the Dalmation breed-from an original picture in the possession of Sir Jo...

Orphean Warbler is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & Sons, 187...

This artwork titled "Le Cirque (The Circus) II" is an original colors lithograph on Arches paper by noted French artist Camille Hilaire, 1916-2004. It is hand signed and inscribed C/...

"Flushing a Woodcock" is an original hand-colored lithograph published by Currier & Ives. It depicts two dogs at the edge of a pond going after a bird that has just flown into the air. 8" x 12 1/2" art 18 1/2" x 22 1/4" frame Currier & Ives produced their prints in a building at 33 Spruce Street where they occupied the third, fourth and fifth floors. The third floor was devoted to the hand operated printing presses that were built by Nat's cousin, Cyrus Currier, at his shop Cyrus Currier & Sons in Newark, NJ. The fourth floor found the artists, lithographers and the stone grinders...

This is an original 19th century 1st octavo edition John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Black Rat, Old and Young", No. 5, Plate XXIII, 23, from Audubon's "Quadrupeds...

"Resplendent Trogon" is an original color lithograph by Louis Prang. It depicts two large trogon birds in a lush jungle with various flora and fauna surroundin...

'Mamalukes Exercising the Spear' Colour aquatint by Mathew Dubourg (1786-1838) after John Heavenside Clark (c1770-1863). From Samuel Howitt's 'Foreign Field Sports'. Samuel Howitt ...

Antique Dog Portrait Lithograph in the Taste of Alfred De Dreux Saint Bernard France, circa 1870 Lithography 25 5/8 x 19 5/8 (28 x 20 frame) inches Six lithographs of dog portrait...

This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Saucerottia Cyanifrons", Blue-capped Saucerottia Hummingbirds by John Gould, published in his "A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds", published in London in 1850. The print, which was drawn by Gould and Henry Richter and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts two green, blue and a little brown colored hummingbirds about a plant with green leaves and pink flowers. This beautiful Gould hand-colored hummingbird lithograph has a few very small faint spots, but it is otherwise in excellent condition. The original text page is included. There are other unframed Gould hummingbird...

This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Gallinago Scolopacinus" (Common Snipe) by John Gould from his monograph "The Birds of Great Britain", published in London in 1...