John Gould

John Gould (1804 - 1881) was an English ornithologist and bird artist.

He was the enterprising genius behind the creation of 2999  hand­ colored lithographs of birds and animals.

Gould was a self-made man. He did not go to university. He gained his knowledge by observation and experience. Even so, his contributions were so vast that in 1843 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society.

In his pursuit of different birds, John Gould travelled to Asia, Australia and the East Indies. His series of natural history plates is probably the the finest set ever made.