George Edwards Animal Prints
Known today as the Father of British Ornithology, George Edwards was a draftsman and naturalist who popularized the art of bird and animal illustrations throughout the 18th century. His main collections of etchings, which were bound as the volumes A Natural History of Uncommon Birds and Gleaning of Natural History, together comprise more than 600 animals and were the first works to delineate many of the featured species.
Edwards cultivated an interest in natural history while traveling around Europe, becoming particularly enamored with birds. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, in 1733, Irish physicist Hans Sloane, an acquaintance of British naturalists/illustrators Eleazar Albin and Mark Catesby, offered Edwards a librarian position at the Royal College of Physicians. The job granted him access to a large collection of works on natural history, which he explored enthusiastically.
With instruction from Catesby, Edwards learned etching and spent much of his time preparing plates and drawings for his books. While Edwards hand-colored his early editions, later works were colored in by other artists, like British artist Peter Paillou, allowing Edwards to focus on etching and writing.
George Edwards earned his reputation for both his illustrations and written descriptions of his subjects — widely acclaimed for their accuracy. Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus cited Edwards’s texts when developing his major work, Systema Naturæ. The Royal Society in London awarded Edwards the Copley Medal in 1750 for outstanding achievement in the field of science. Edwards retired in 1763 to Plaistow, England, and died in 1773.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of George Edwards engravings and wall decorations.
Mid-18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Laid Paper
1740s Old Masters George Edwards Animal Prints
Intaglio, Engraving, Laid Paper, Watercolor
1740s Old Masters George Edwards Animal Prints
Intaglio, Engraving, Laid Paper, Watercolor
18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Etching
1740s George Edwards Animal Prints
Paper
1740s George Edwards Animal Prints
Paper
18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Etching
18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Engraving
1740s Academic George Edwards Animal Prints
Engraving, Watercolor
19th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Lithograph
Mid-18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Etching
1740s Academic George Edwards Animal Prints
Engraving
Mid-18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Laid Paper
18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Etching, Watercolor
18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Etching, Watercolor
2010s Abstract George Edwards Animal Prints
Archival Paper, Cotton, Giclée
1990s Contemporary George Edwards Animal Prints
Lithograph
2010s Realist George Edwards Animal Prints
Digital Pigment, Permanent Marker, Laid Paper
1790s Old Masters George Edwards Animal Prints
Engraving, Paper, Etching, Aquatint
1830s Victorian George Edwards Animal Prints
Engraving, Aquatint, Watercolor, Intaglio, Rosewood
1830s Victorian George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Engraving, Aquatint, Intaglio
1770s Baroque George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Etching, Intaglio
1990s Contemporary George Edwards Animal Prints
Lithograph
1830s Naturalistic George Edwards Animal Prints
Lithograph
19th Century Impressionist George Edwards Animal Prints
Intaglio, Laid Paper, Etching
16th Century Old Masters George Edwards Animal Prints
Engraving
Early 19th Century Realist George Edwards Animal Prints
Laid Paper, Drypoint, Etching
18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Etching
1740s George Edwards Animal Prints
Paper
1740s George Edwards Animal Prints
Paper
1740s George Edwards Animal Prints
Paper
18th Century Naturalistic George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Engraving, Paper
18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Etching
18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Watercolor, Etching
Mid-18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Etching
Mid-18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Etching
Mid-18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Etching
Mid-18th Century George Edwards Animal Prints
Laid Paper
1760s George Edwards Animal Prints
Engraving