Lapwing

Henry Constantine Richter 1821 - 1902

Summary

A hand-coloured lithograph of a Lapwing standing facing the left looking towards four fluffy seated chicks nestled on the ground. Surrounding them are variations of green plants and grass, and to the rear left there is another adult Lapwing standing on a rock looking towards the group of birds in the fore. There are two birds in flight visible in the pale sky above them. John Gould, known as the 'bird man', was the leading publisher of bird illustrations in Victorian Britain. Lapwing is one of 367 plates from his 'Birds of Great Britain' issued between 1862 and 1873 in five volumes. It was the most comprehensive record of British birds to date and a significant artistic and scientific achievement. Gould drew many of the initial rough sketches himself which were then passed on for completion to the skilled illustrator Henry Richter.